The idea of the ghetto – as a destination, an origin, a physical boundary, an emotional trap, a labyrinth, a prison, a haven, and an inspiration for self-determination – has been a focal point of Jewish literary culture since the seventeenth century.

In this course we’ll study the way Jewish writers forced to live in ghettos have wrestled with their exclusion from mainstream society. This course will offer a timely focus on the emotional effects of social distancing, physical and emotional isolation, segregation, anti-Black racism, and antisemitism.