Ashkenormativity

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Ashkenormativity refers to a perceived belief among Ashkenazi Jews that their religious and cultural practices are the default; in contrast to Jews of Sephardi, Mizrahi, Ethiopian, and other non-Ashkenazi backgrounds.

Contents

Definition

The Jewish English Lexicon dictionary defines the term as assuming Ashkenazi Jews as the default, excluding Sephardi, Mizrahi, Ethiopian, and other practices and histories from Jewish communal life. [1] It is often contrasted with Ashkefardic, representing both Ashkenazi and Sephardi cultures. [2]

The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia defines Ashkenormativity as the assumption that "Jewish life and culture is limited primarily to the experiences and customs of Ashkenazi Jews". The encyclopedia asserts that most American Jews, both Ashkenazi and non-Ashkenazi, have internalized Ashkenormative views due to the historical prominence of Ashkenazim within American Jewish life. [3]

The Oxford Handbook of Jewishness and Dance defines Ashkenormativity as "an Ashkenazi, or European Jewish, centricity in relation to dominant formulations of Jewish culture". [4]

History

The term arose in Jewish discourse around 2014. According to linguist Sarah Bunin Benor, Jews discuss the term to counter the power imbalance from a time when Jewish life was Ashkenormative. The word was included in the Newish Jewish Encyclopedia in 2019. [1] [5]

Examples

Norman Stillman, an academic in Oriental studies, wrote about the "Ashkenazification" of Sephardi religious life in Israel. [6] Daniel J. Elazar said that "Ashkenazified" Sephardi yeshivot in Israel emulate Eastern European Ashkenazi forms of Judaism at the expense of their own Sephardi heritage, with Sephardi rabbis experiencing pressure to adapt to Ashkenazi norms. [7]

The Jewish environmental advocacy organization Hazon, whose staff is predominantly Ashkenazi, described terms such as "Jewish looking" or "a Jewish dance" as "Yiddish-centric/Ashkenormative". [8]

Common stereotypes about Jews, such as having pale skin or wearing black hats, are often stereotypes about Ashkenazi Jews specifically rather than Jews as a whole. These stereotypes apply to white Ashkenazim rather than Sephardi, Mizrahi, and other non-Ashkenazi Jews. [9] Another example of Ashkenormativity is assuming that iconic aspects of Ashkenazi culture, such the Yiddish language, media such as Fiddler on the Roof or Indecent , or staples of Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine such as bagels and gefilte fish, are representative of all Jews. [10]

Many kibbutzim in Israel are or were historically majority Ashkenazi. Lihi Yona, writing for +972 Magazine, said that the Ashkenazi-dominated kibbutz movement "contributed to the vast socio-economic gaps that characterize Israel today" because "Ashkenazim enjoy near-unadulterated privilege and access to land and natural resources, which in turn yield significant economic opportunities. Meanwhile, Mizrahi “development towns” that sprang up around them house tens of thousands of people in small, cramped geographic areas that offer little opportunities for economic advancement." [11]

Criticism

Given the dominant focus on the Hebrew language and Israeli culture within American-Jewish cultural institutions, and the de-emphasizing of Yiddish culture, Jordan Kutzik questioned the extent to which Ashkenazi Jews are culturally Ashkenazi and what Ashkenormative refers to in the American context. He further argued that the near-exclusive focus on Israeli culture was a greater threat to the maintenance of Sephardic and Mizrahi cultural traditions in America than Ashkenazi Jews choosing to study Yiddish. [12]

Rokhl Kaffrissen has argued that the term is a misnomer when Ashkenazi culture is widely denigrated within an American Jewish society which has embraced Sephardic Hebrew pronunciation and other elements of Sephardi culture as a result of alleged self-hatred among 19th century German Jews and 20th century Zionists. [13]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Ashkenormative". Jewish English Lexicon . Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  2. ↑ "Ashkefardic". Jewish English Lexicon . Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  3. ↑ Butnick, Stephanie; Lebovitz, Liel; Oppenheimer, Mark (2019). The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar's and Everything in Between. Artisan Books. p. 20. ISBN   9781579658939.
  4. ↑ Jackson, Naomi M.; Pappas, Rebecca; Shapiro-Phim, Toni (2021). The Oxford Handbook of Jewishness and Dance. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 700. ISBN   9780197519523.
  5. ↑ Bunin Benor, Sarah (2024-05-03). "I'm a Jewish linguist, and I think 'Ashkenormativity' is a perfectly fine word". Jewish Telegraphic Agency . Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  6. ↑ Stillman, Norman A. (1995). Sephardi Religious Responses to Modernity (The Sherman Lecture Series , Vol 1). Milton Park: Harwood Academic Publishers. pp. 76, 84. ISBN   9783718656998.
  7. ↑ "Can Sephardic Judaism be Reconstructed?". Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs . Retrieved 2021-11-26.
  8. ↑ "Equity and Justice Statement". Hazon . Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  9. ↑ "Mizrahi Students Talk: Are Campus Communities Ashkenormative?". New Voices. 12 March 2018. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  10. ↑ "Black and Jewish Speakers Discuss Race with B'nai Israel". Baltimore Jewish Times . Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  11. ↑ "The story of Israel's Ashkenazi supremacy in one river". +972 Magazine. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  12. ↑ Kutzik, Jordan (January 8, 2019). "Opinion: Ashkenormativity? What about Israel-Centrism?". The Forward. Archived from the original on April 9, 2019. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  13. ↑ rokhl (2015-04-09). "Why 'Ashkenormativity' Isn't a Thing · Jewschool". Jewschool. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
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