The Fabric of Belonging: Jews and Textiles in the Age of Empire

FAIN: FT-286078-22

Laura Arnold Leibman
Reed College (Portland, OR 97202-8138)

Research and writing leading to a book examining six case studies in which Jews utilized textiles to negotiate belonging in 19th century port cities of the British or Dutch empires.

I am requesting a NEH Summer Stipend for 2022 in order to complete archival research on an ongoing project on the use of textiles to fashion Jewish identities in the long nineteenth century. The goal of my project is two-fold: (1) to augment our understanding of the role material culture plays in the role of story of belonging and (2) balance discussions of belonging between community leaders and Jews who were doubly marginalized, that is, both by gentile society and by their fellow Jews. The end product of this project will be a book called The Fabric of Belonging: Jews and Textiles in the Age of Empire.