Shelly Tenenbaum

Shelly Tenenbaum is a Professor of Sociology at Clark University, with affiliations in Women’s and Gender Studies, Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies, Africana Studies, and Jewish Studies. She co-directs Liberal Arts for Returning Citizens, a program for formerly incarcerated individuals, and teaches in the Emerson Prison Initiative’s college-in-prison program. Her research focuses on Jewish immigrant communities, mutual aid networks, gender, and pedagogy in marginalized contexts.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies & Sociology, Brandeis University (1986)
  • M.A. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Brandeis University (1983)
  • B.A. in Political Science, Antioch College (1977)

Her research bridges historical sociology and Jewish Studies, examining themes like ethnic enterprise and identity. Notable works include A Credit to Their Community: Jewish Loan Societies in the United States, 1880–1945 and co-editing Feminist Perspectives on Jewish Studies. She is also active in pedagogical scholarship, particularly in prison education and curriculum development.

Ms. Tenenbaum has received Clark University’s highest teaching and advising honors, reflecting her dedication to both academic excellence and social justice initiatives.