Sociology

“To know one's chains for what they are is better than to deck them with flowers”1, 2

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Lila Corwin Berman, Kate Rosenblatt, and Ronit Y. Stahl's argument that the study of "American Jewish continuity is embedded within patriarchal and misogynistic structures" (168) raises important sociological questions about the production of knowledge. By analyzing how a prevailing set of ideas is shaped by broader social forces and how a group of scholars is deeply enmeshed in a historical context, the authors offer a sociology of knowledge approach that highlights the relationship between society and categories of thought. At the same time that dominant institutions shape questions that are asked (as well as those that are not asked), the answers in turn reinforce the status quo. Being aware of the connection between inquiry and structure enlarges our lenses and challenges the academy to engage in the liberating enterprise of recognizing potential sources of bias. The article "Continuity Crisis" makes us see how the continuity paradigm is bound by ideological chains of time and place and reminds us of Rousseau's eighteenth-century principle: "To know one's chains for what they are is better than to deck them with flowers."

Publication Title

American Jewish History

Publication Date

4-2020

Volume

104

Issue

2-3

First Page

239

Last Page

242

ISSN

0164-0178

DOI

10.1353/ajh.2020.0025

Keywords

Jewish Americans

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