Jews in Another Environment
|
|
Review
This absorbing text is both the first book-length treatment of Surinam’s Jewish history to appear since David Nassy’s 18th century Essai Historique sur la Colonie de Surinam, and the first volume to appear in the celebrated Brill’s Series in Jewish Studies.
Using a thematic methodology in the social history model, Cohen explores how environmental factors influenced the experiences of Surinam’s Jews in the later 1700s. His definition of “environment” expands well beyond the limits of geography and climate, and he makes a compelling argument that the uniqueness of these broader conditions makes Surinam an important node of Jewish history despite its “peripheral” status with respect to Eurocentric historiography.
The text concludes with two lengthy appendices that uncover the textual resources at Nassy’s disposal as he composed the Essai Historique. In painstaking detail, the first lists 433 books that were cataloged in his estate after his death, while the second furnishes an additional 90 volumes that he cited but were not found in his library.
Using a thematic methodology in the social history model, Cohen explores how environmental factors influenced the experiences of Surinam’s Jews in the later 1700s. His definition of “environment” expands well beyond the limits of geography and climate, and he makes a compelling argument that the uniqueness of these broader conditions makes Surinam an important node of Jewish history despite its “peripheral” status with respect to Eurocentric historiography.
The text concludes with two lengthy appendices that uncover the textual resources at Nassy’s disposal as he composed the Essai Historique. In painstaking detail, the first lists 433 books that were cataloged in his estate after his death, while the second furnishes an additional 90 volumes that he cited but were not found in his library.
Table of Contents
|
Introduction: The Surinam Environment
The Environment of Migration and Mobility The Environment of Climate and Health The Environment of Crisis Economy The Cultural and Intellectual Environment The Community Environment (I) The Community Environment (II) Conclusion: The Surinam Environment and Jewish History Appendix A: Catalog of the Nassy Library Appendix B: Works Cited by Nassy not Found in his Library Notes Sources & Bibliography Index |
1
11 35 66 94 124 145 175 181 240 252 310 335 |