Contribution to Book
"The ‘Spanish Jewish Project:’ Reciprocity in an Age of Westernization”
The Languages of Modern Jewish Cultures: Comparative Perspectives
(2016)
Abstract
This chapter explores the historical origins and development of the "Spanish Jewish Project," a movement to recast Jews of Iberian origin as "Spanish Jews" (judíos españoles). The movement emerged during the Hispano-African War (1859-1860) and sparked the imagination of a small but influential group of Ladino-speaking Jews and Spanish Christian liberal politicians, journalists, and intellectuals critical of their country's history and politics and eager to recapture the economic ascendancy of the Spanish Empire. Although the "Spanish Jewish Project" could not have materialized outside this political and economic context, the connective power of language was at the heart of both the movement and its reciprocal nature.
Keywords
- Spain,
- Ladino,
- Sephardic
Disciplines
Publication Date
2016
Editor
Joshua Miller and Anita Norich
Publisher
University of Michigan Press
Publisher Statement
The author holds copyright to this article. Confirmed May 19, 2017.
Citation Information
Aviva Ben-Ur. ""The ‘Spanish Jewish Project:’ Reciprocity in an Age of Westernization”" Ann ArborThe Languages of Modern Jewish Cultures: Comparative Perspectives (2016) p. 174 - 203 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/aviva_benur/23/