Review of Clémence Boulouque, Another Modernity: Elia Benamozegh’s Jewish Universalism,” Quest. Issues in Contemporary Jewish History
Résumé
Clémence Boulouque’s monography is the reworking of her PhD dissertation written under the supervision of Elliott Wolfson at NYU. I did not read that PhD dissertation but I must say that the present book is far more readable than the average academic work. It can delight an enlightened audience interested in Elia Benamozegh’s intellectual legacy as a bridge between traditional Jewish lore (including mysticism) and western philosophy.
The four parts of the book lead the reader from a contextualization of Benamozegh’s life and work (pp. 15-61) to a reappraisal of his universalism against the background of the philosophical debates of his time (pp. 63-106). Part three delves into the status of Kabbalah in Benamozegh’s thought, not only as a source of references in his polygraphic activities in three languages (Hebrew; Italian; French) but also as a tool to overcome binary oppositions and more especially, the antithesis between universalism and particularism (pp. 107-147). Part four (pp. 149-191) deals with the limits of Benamozegh’s universalism, that Boulouque’s deconstructive reading presents as a way of reasserting the centrality of Judaism.
Domaines
Sciences de l'Homme et SociétéOrigine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
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