Jewish Communities in Modern Asia

Their Rise, Demise and Resurgence

Rotem Kowner

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2023
• eBook ISBN:
  9781009192859
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Jewish Theology

Jewish settlement in Asia, beyond the Middle East, is largely a modern phenomenon. Imperial expansion and adventurism by Great Britain and Russia were the chief motors that initially drove Jewish settlers to move eastwards, in the nineteenth century, combined as this was with the rise of port cities and general development of the global economy. The new immigrants soon become centrally involved, in ways quite disproportionate to their numbers, in Asian commerce. Their role and centrality finished with the outbreak of World War II, the chaos that resulted from the fighting, and the consequent collapse of Western imperialism. This unique, ground-breaking book charts their rise and fall while pointing to signs of these communities' post-war resurgence and revival. Fourteen chapters by many of the most prominent authorities in the field, from a range of perspectives, explore questions of identity, society, and culture across several Asian locales. It is essential reading for scholars of Asian Studies and Jewish Studies.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Reviews
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Epigraph
• Contents
• List of Maps
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• List of Contributors
• Acknowledgments
• Note on Translations and Conventions
• 1 Jewish Communities in Modern Asia: Background, Significance and Main Questions
• Part I Central and North Asia: Old and New Communities in Russia’s Shadow
• Part II South Asia: Identity and Culture in British and Independent India
• Part III Southeast Asia: Colonial Legacies and Emerging Communities
• Part IV East Asia: Communities and Strife in the Sinosphere
• Part V Imaginary Asia: Lost Peoples and Invisible Communities
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Picture and Map Acknowledgments
• Index