Miriam Adelman – författare

The Sacred and the Impure in Judaism examines the radicalization of certain Orthodox Jewish groups through the lens of kashrut, or Jewish dietary laws. Mata F. Topel begins with a historical look at chumratization--the tendency among rabbis toward more rigorous interpretations of Jewish law--beginning in Hungary in the late 19th century and on through the nascent radicalization of Israeli Orthodox Jews in the 1950s. Then, drawing on Orthodox kashrut manuals and interviews with kashrut supervisors, ritual butchers, and a diverse group of Orthodox men and women, Topel shows how changes to dietary laws have had a profound effect on the ritual density of everyday life in these communities. Detailed descriptions of the difficulties that Orthodox housewives have in carrying out preparations for the Jewish Passover reveal a certain obsession with following the commandments and customs mandated by authorities. Contrasting medieval practices with current ones, Topel shows that the number of rules for celebrating Passover has increased exponentially in recent decades, an important indication of the chumratization process that effects significant segments of this population. However, she also finds exceptions: While many Orthodox rabbis demand that kashrut supervisors and housewives take great pains to avoid ingesting insects that may be found in vegetables and fruit, they have also become significantly more lenient when it comes to consuming non-kosher meat--so much so that most meat consumed by Orthodox communities today is not kosher. The Sacred and the Impure in Judaism reveals considerable changes in the content and function of kashrut for Orthodox Jews in Israel and its diaspora, which contradicts ideas of purity within this community and the notion that their beliefs and practices are identical to European Judaism of the 18th and 19th centuries, while highlighting the multiple and intricate relationships that exist between a community''s religion, food, and identity.

The Sacred and the Impure in Judaism examines the radicalization of certain Orthodox Jewish groups through the lens of kashrut, or Jewish dietary laws. Mata F. Topel begins with a historical look at chumratization--the tendency among rabbis toward more rigorous interpretations of Jewish law--beginning in Hungary in the late 19th century and on through the nascent radicalization of Israeli Orthodox Jews in the 1950s. Then, drawing on Orthodox kashrut manuals and interviews with kashrut supervisors, ritual butchers, and a diverse group of Orthodox men and women, Topel shows how changes to dietary laws have had a profound effect on the ritual density of everyday life in these communities. Detailed descriptions of the difficulties that Orthodox housewives have in carrying out preparations for the Jewish Passover reveal a certain obsession with following the commandments and customs mandated by authorities. Contrasting medieval practices with current ones, Topel shows that the number of rules for celebrating Passover has increased exponentially in recent decades, an important indication of the chumratization process that effects significant segments of this population. However, she also finds exceptions: While many Orthodox rabbis demand that kashrut supervisors and housewives take great pains to avoid ingesting insects that may be found in vegetables and fruit, they have also become significantly more lenient when it comes to consuming non-kosher meat--so much so that most meat consumed by Orthodox communities today is not kosher. The Sacred and the Impure in Judaism reveals considerable changes in the content and function of kashrut for Orthodox Jews in Israel and its diaspora, which contradicts ideas of purity within this community and the notion that their beliefs and practices are identical to European Judaism of the 18th and 19th centuries, while highlighting the multiple and intricate relationships that exist between a community''s religion, food, and identity.

This edited volume demonstrates the broader socio-cultural context for individual human-horse relations and equestrian practices by documenting the international value of equines; socially, culturally, as subjects of academic study and as drivers of public policy. It broadens our understanding of the importance of horses to humans by providing case studies from an unprecedented diversity of cultures. The volume is grounded in the contention that the changing status of equines reveals - and moves us to reflect on - important material and symbolic societal transformations ushered in by (post)modernity which affect local and global contexts alike.Through a detailed consideration of the social relations and cultural dimensions of equestrian practices across several continents, this volume provides readers with an understanding of the ways in which interactions with horses provide global connectivity with localized identities, and vice versa. It further discusses new frontiersin the research on and practice of equestrianism, framed against global megatrends and local micro-trends.

This edited volume demonstrates the broader socio-cultural context for individual human-horse relations and equestrian practices by documenting the international value of equines; socially, culturally, as subjects of academic study and as drivers of public policy. It broadens our understanding of the importance of horses to humans by providing case studies from an unprecedented diversity of cultures. The volume is grounded in the contention that the changing status of equines reveals - and moves us to reflect on - important material and symbolic societal transformations ushered in by (post)modernity which affect local and global contexts alike.

Through a detailed consideration of the social relations and cultural dimensions of equestrian practices across several continents, this volume provides readers with an understanding of the ways in which interactions with horses provide global connectivity with localized identities, and vice versa. It further discusses new frontiersin the research on and practice of equestrianism, framed against global megatrends and local micro-trends.

This edited volume demonstrates the broader socio-cultural context for individual human-horse relations and equestrian practices by documenting the international value of equines; socially, culturally, as subjects of academic study and as drivers of public policy. It broadens our understanding of the importance of horses to humans by providing case studies from an unprecedented diversity of cultures. The volume is grounded in the contention that the changing status of equines reveals - and moves us to reflect on - important material and symbolic societal transformations ushered in by (post)modernity which affect local and global contexts alike.Through a detailed consideration of the social relations and cultural dimensions of equestrian practices across several continents, this volume provides readers with an understanding of the ways in which interactions with horses provide global connectivity with localized identities, and vice versa. It further discusses new frontiersin the research on and practice of equestrianism, framed against global megatrends and local micro-trends.

This volume brings together studies from various disciplines of the social sciences and humanities ( anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, history and literary theory) that shed light on the equestrian world as a historically gendered and highly dynamic field of contemporary sport and culture.  From high level international dressage and jumping, polo and the turf, to the rodeo world of the Americas and popular forms of equestrian sport and culture, we are introduced to a range of  issues that  are played out at local and global, national and international levels. Students and scholars of gender, culture and sport  will find much of interest in this original look at contemporary issues such as “engendered” (women’s and men’s) identities/subjectivities as equestrians, representations of girls, horses and the world of adventure in juvenile fiction;  the current “feminization” of particular equestrian activities (and where boys and men stand in relation to this);  how broad forms of social inequality and stratification play themselves out within gendered equestrian contexts; men and women and their relation to horses within the framework of current discussions on the relation of animals to humans (which may  include not only love and care, but also exploitation and violence), among others.  Singular contributions  show how   equestrian activities contribute to historical and current constructions of embodied “femininities” and “masculinities”, reflecting a world that has been moving “beyond the binaries” while continuing to be enmeshed in their persistent and contradictory legacy. ​

This volume brings together studies from various disciplines of the social sciences and humanities ( anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, history and literary theory) that shed light on the equestrian world as a historically gendered and highly dynamic field of contemporary sport and culture.  From high level international dressage and jumping, polo and the turf, to the rodeo world of the Americas and popular forms of equestrian sport and culture, we are introduced to a range of  issues that  are played out at local and global, national and international levels. Students and scholars of gender, culture and sport  will find much of interest in this original look at contemporary issues such as “engendered” (women’s and men’s) identities/subjectivities as equestrians, representations of girls, horses and the world of adventure in juvenile fiction;  the current “feminization” of particular equestrian activities (and where boys and men stand in relation to this);  how broad forms of social inequality and stratification play themselves out within gendered equestrian contexts; men and women and their relation to horses within the framework of current discussions on the relation of animals to humans (which may  include not only love and care, but also exploitation and violence), among others.  Singular contributions  show how   equestrian activities contribute to historical and current constructions of embodied “femininities” and “masculinities”, reflecting a world that has been moving “beyond the binaries” while continuing to be enmeshed in their persistent and contradictory legacy. ​