Program Description: "A Different Hat in the Ring: The Yarmulke, American Jews, and the Political Arena" with Professor Eric Michael Mazur, Virginia Wesleyan University
The yarmulke, whether worn a lot or never, plain or colorful, nestled in a tallis bag or stuffed in a drawer, has been a topic of debate. As Jews encountered non-Jews with greater frequency in the modern world, the yarmulke became the symbol of a Jewish presence in non-Jewish public spaces. It has emerged as a factor in negotiations over the politics of identity between Jews and non-Jews in public spaces. Debates among Jews about yarmulkes arose in the Reform movement of the nineteenth century and continued with the rise of gender-related issues in the twentieth century. American politics throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries has seen the yarmulke playing a role. In addition the yarmulke has served as a marker not only for Jews and Judaism, but also for the nature and role of religion in the modern world.
Eric Michael Mazur, professor of religious studies at Virginia Wesleyan University, teaches courses on Judaism, religion in American culture, and the academic study of religion. He is the author, co-author, editor, and co-editor of books on religion in American law and culture. Most recently Prof. Mazur authored chapters on Judaism in American culture, as well as co-edited the Bloomsbury Reader in the Study of Religion and Popular Culture (2022) and Religion and Outer Space (2023). His articles on religion in American culture and history, the arts / literature / film, popular culture, religious liberty, politics, and race / ethnicity appear in academic journals, encyclopedias, and edited volumes. In addition to scholarly pursuits Eric served in Washington, DC as a lobbyist for the American Jewish Committee and Americans for Democratic Action.
