Rachel Gordan

Rachel Gordan is an Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Florida, holding the Shorstein Professorship in American Jewish Culture and Society. She specializes in American religious history, focusing on Judaism and Jewish culture from the early 20th century to the present, with a particular emphasis on post-WWII America, middlebrow culture, and American Jewish literary history. Gordan earned her Ph.D. in North American Religions from Harvard University, following a BA in American Studies and a MAR from Yale Divinity School. She has held postdoctoral fellowships at Northwestern University and the University of Toronto, and previously taught at Boston University and Brandeis University.

Her research explores themes such as Jewish women’s history, the intersection of religion and literature, and the role of middlebrow culture in shaping American Jewish identity. She has published widely on topics ranging from antisemitism in postwar literature to the representation of Jewish women in popular culture. Her work often bridges literary analysis with sociological and historical perspectives, offering critical insights into American Jewish communal and cultural dynamics.

Gordan’s academic contributions include analyzing the cultural production of American Jewish writers like Philip Roth and Laura Z. Hobson, as well as examining institutional histories such as the National Council of Jewish Women. Her recent publications highlight the transformative role of postwar literature in defining American Jewish identity and the complexities of Jewish-Black relations in mid-20th century urban settings.