Transforming Identity: The Ritual Transition from Gentile to Jew - Structure and Meaning

by Avi Sagi and Zvi Zohar

Book Overview

Of all Judaic rituals, that of giyyur is arguably the most radical: it turns a Gentile into a Jew - once and for all and irrevocably. The very possibility of such a transformation is anomalous, according to Jewish tradition, which regards Jewishness as an ascriptive status entered through birth to a Jewish mother.

What is the internal logic of the ritual of giyyur, that seems to enable a Gentile to acquire an 'ascribed' identity? It is to...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0826496725
• ISBN13: 9780826496720
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Continuum
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.0"