Lecture by Carla Pestana of UCLA Department of History. The early Quaker movement took the world by storm beginning in the 1650s, with “witnesses to the truth” traveling widely to spread their message.  In response, nervous authorities used various mechanism to contain the threat they were seen to pose. Major themes in early American and...

The inhabitants of the ancient biblical world—including many ancient Israelites—viewed their cosmos as the home of many unseen forces: for example, powerful gods and their entourages, but also malevolent demons. This talk explores the possibility that beating upon drums may have been one means by which the ancients warded off these demonic agents. We will...

The talk follows the lives of children and young adults in the modern cities of Iraq, as well as in towns and in villages. I will explore the schools, libraries, cafes, and streets in which children interacted with other children, and present the different kinds of childhood Jewish children experienced based on their class, gender...