Boundaries and Self-Presentation among the Hasidim: A Study in Identity Maintenance

Type of resource
Authors/collaborators
Title
Boundaries and Self-Presentation among the Hasidim: A Study in Identity Maintenance
Abstract
The author presents a brief description of the Hasidic community living in or near Montreal (e.g. Outremont and Boisbriand areas), highlighting in the process his own personal experiences in dealing with the Hasidim. He discusses the various ways in which the Hasidim attempt to distinguish and insulate themselves from the surrounding non-Hasidic culture. According to the author, some of the major ways in which this cultural 'isolation' is achieved is through "boundary-maintaining mechanisms" such as institutional control, particularly in reference to the organization of secular education, by proselytization, as in the case of the Lubavitch Hasidim, and the negotiation of public controversies. Each of these mechanisms is discussed in detail.
Book Title
New World Hasidim: Ethnographic Studies of Hasidic Jews in America
Place
Albany, NY
Publisher
State University of New York Press
Date
1995
Pages
31-68
Language
en
Citation
Shaffir, William. “Boundaries and Self-Presentation among the Hasidim: A Study in Identity Maintenance.” In New World Hasidim: Ethnographic Studies of Hasidic Jews in America, edited by Janet S. Belcove-Shalin, 31–68. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1995.
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