Conference-report: 4th Annual Sacred Leaves Symposium, USF Tampa (Florida)
von Lennart Lehmhaus
In February 2010 I travelled to Tampa (Florida), USA. The Special and Digital Collections Department of the Tampa Library and the Department for Medieval Studies invited me to the 4th Annual Sacred Leaves Graduate Symposium, held at the University of South Florida. The guiding topic of this year’s symposium was „Encountering the "Other" in the Medieval World: Textual Examinations of Resistance and Reconciliation across the Traditions, 500-1500.”
The conference took place in the Main Library at Tampa Campus of the USF on 18-19 February 2010. The Sacred Leaves Symposium brought together graduate students, PhD-candidates and junior faculty from North America, Europe and South Africa. All presentations dealt with aspects of identity formation and “othering”, inclusion and exclusion and alienation against the backdrop of socio-cultural or religious dynamics. As a keynote speaker, Prof. David Nirenberg from the University of Chicago was invited. Prof. Nirenberg also functioned as a first respondent to all the presentations given. In his own talk, Prof. Nirenberg addressed several aspects of religio-cultural encounters between the three so called scriptural traditions (Judaism/ Christianity/ Islam) and their culture of interpretation. He used the opportunity intriguingly to compare medieval and contemporary lines of conflict.
Within the section „Appropriating the Other“, chaired by Prof, Cass Fisher, I presented some findings from my dissertational research in a paper entitled „Rabbinic Literature between Dispute and Instruction – the case of Seder Eliyahu Rabbah and Zutah”. Based on my dissertation on Seder Eliyahu Zutah (The minor order of Elijah), I discussed literary, rhetorical and historical aspects of rabbinic disputes with others. Especially, I studied various passages in which an encounter or discussion between a rabbinic narrator and non-rabbinic others of different origin are depicted. The inquiry demonstrated how these passages convey central religious beliefs and practices framed in an inner-Jewish dispute. Special attention was paid to particular focal points in Seder Eliyahu Zutah and its fellow tradition Seder Eliyahu Rabbah (The major order of Elijah) which may point to different intended interest and recipients.
The discussion following the presentations was fruitful and brought up some interesting details as well as point for further comparison. Moreover, the exchange with participants, colleagues and professors offered a chance to gain additional insights and to broaden the Judaic perspective of my research.