NEH Grant for Cynthia Baker

CONGRATULATIONS TO PROFESSOR CYNTHIA BAKER, who has received an NEH Grant for work in Jewish studies:

Religion professor receives NEH grant for 'identity terms' research
Posted by: Bates Views on Tuesday, January 26, 2010

"Identity terms" are the words that people use to affiliate themselves and others with particular groups — ethnic, racial, religious, social and so on.

Cynthia Baker, associate professor of religious studies at Bates [College in Maine], recently received $50,400 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support her research into one of history's most fraught identity terms: "Jew," a word that can convey praise, pride, prejudice or pure description.

No studies exist that analyze the use and the historical development, from ancient times through the postmodern era, of that term, Baker says. The NEH grant will enable her to research and write a book slated for publication in the "Key Words in Jewish Studies" series published by Rutgers University Press.

The book will map the emergence, evolution and current permutations of the term "Jew." Baker's yearlong research will involve experts and archives in the U.S., Europe and Israel, among other resources. She will examine ancient inscriptions and conduct art-historical analyses of images of Jews including those from medieval European churches, manuscripts, modern cartoons, propaganda and current pop art.

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