Jerry and Jewry: Ethnicity and Humanity in G.A. Cohen

Type of resource
Author/collaborator
Title
Jerry and Jewry: Ethnicity and Humanity in G.A. Cohen
Abstract
The author examines the Montreal life and Jewish identity of Marxist political philosopher Gerald Allan "Jerry" Cohen (1941-2009) who held the positions of Quain Professor of Jurisprudence, University College London and Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory, All Souls College, Oxford. The author points out that in Cohen's book, If You're an Egalitarian, How Come You're So Rich? (2000), the philosopher presents musings on his ethnic identity. The author argues that the interplay between the personal reflections, central to which is Cohen's “communist Jewish” upbringing in Montreal, and the philosophical position that Cohen held, sheds Canadian light on the foundations of Western culture. Although Cohen identified as Jewish throughout his life, the author points out that Cohen rejected Judaism. Cohen was a Marxist early and a "luck egalitarian" later. The author claims that Cohen was also critical of the liberalism that Jewish people (especially those of his native Montreal) embrace.
Publication
University of Toronto Quarterly
Volume
Vol. 86
Issue
no. 4
Pages
27-53
Date
Fall 2017
Language
en
Citation
Glouberman, Mark. “Jerry and Jewry: Ethnicity and Humanity in G.A. Cohen.” University of Toronto Quarterly Vol. 86, no. 4 (Fall 2017): 27–53.
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