Space and Religion: The Case of Hasidism
Space and Religion: The Case of Hasidism
The aim of this lecture is to suggest potential sources, approaches and conceptual frames in which one could research chrono-spatial aspects of Hasidism. Is it true that Hasidism dominated most of East European Jewry already by the end of the eighteenth century? What were the borders of Hasidic influence? When, how and why did they change? Which Hasidic dynasties were strongest? Where did Hasidim make their pilgrimages to and why so? These and other questions will inform the lecture.
Marcin Wodziński is a professor of Jewish history and literature at the University of Wrocław, Poland. His special field of interest is social history of Jews in nineteenth-century Eastern Europe. His books include: Hebrew Inscriptions in Silesia 13th-18th c. (Pol., 1996), Haskalah and Hasidism in the Kingdom of Poland: A History of Conflict (2005), and Hasidism and Politics: The Kingdom of Poland, 1815-1864 (2013).
Lunch available to those who RSVP by emailing dakirsch@umd.edu.