The Black Jews of Africa History, Religion, Identity

"The Black Jews of Africa is an excellent introduction to a complex and controversial subject about African Jews and the Ten Lost Tribes. Dr. Bruder rightly leaves to others the thorny question of Jewish identity. Instead, using a wide range of bibliography that covers the field, she concentrates on describing the beliefs, customs, and history of the various African peoples and communities that claim Jewish identity. I recommend it highly to those interested in understanding modern Jewish history and society worldwide." --Ephraim Isaac, Director of the Institute of Semitic Studies, Princeton"This ambitious and passionate work explores the fascination that Jewish history and identity have held for the people of Africa. A welcome and challenging addition to the discourse on the lost tribes of Israel, it should be read by anyone interested in Jewish history, African history, and the sociology of religion." --Emanuela Trevisan Semi, Associate Professor, Ca' Foscari University, Italy, and author of Jacques Faitlovitch and the Jews of Ethiopia"Going far beyond the familiar literature on the Falasha, Bruder's book makes a real contribution to understanding the nature of African Judaism and, much more important, how this phenomenon has been regarded in the West. The book presents a major case study in the social construction of religious identities." --Philip Jenkins, author of God's Continent: Christianity, Islam, and Europe's Religious Crisis"Edith Bruder's study of Black African Jews deserves critical acclaim for focusing on a topic in African history that has been woefully neglected as a primary topic of discourse. Until now, few scholars have delved into the study of Jews within the larger context of Africa's past. ...[T]he book should be recognized in the historiography as the work that permanently widened Africa's historical lens." --African Studies Review