معرفی
Beth Berkowitz is a Professor of Religion and holds the Ingeborg Rennert Chair of Jewish Studies at Barnard College. She specializes in Talmud and rabbinic literature, Jewish difference, and critical animal studies. Her scholarly work bridges religious studies with contemporary theoretical frameworks, including posthumanism, queer theory, and eco-criticism.
- Education: PhD in Religion from Columbia University, MA in Divinity from the University of Chicago, BA from Columbia College.
Her research interrogates the intersection of species, kinship, and ethics in ancient Jewish texts. She challenges anthropocentric assumptions in biblical and rabbinic literature, emphasizing fluidity between human and non-human categories. Notably, her work explores how rabbinic texts envision cross-species care and the implications for modern ethical frameworks.
Recent articles highlight her focus on kinship models in the Bible, species indistinction in rabbinic thought, and the application of philosophical theories like Agamben’s biopolitics and Derrida’s deconstruction to ancient texts. Her upcoming 2026 book What Animals Teach Us About Families expands these themes.
- Scientific Awards: Recipient of the Salo Baron Prize for Outstanding First Book in Jewish Studies (2006) for Execution and Invention.
Berkowitz actively engages in academic leadership as Vice-President of the Jewish Law Association, editorial board member of the University of Pennsylvania Press’s Jewish Culture and Contexts series, and co-founder of the Society of Biblical Literature’s Bible and Animal Studies unit. Her courses include Animals and Religion, Introduction to Talmud, and Theory of Religion, reflecting her interdisciplinary pedagogy.
