In the 1981 edition of the Canadian Jewish Historical Society Journal, the eminent Jewish Studies historian Jonathan D. Sarna published the article, “The Value of Canadian Jewish History to the American Jewish Historian and Vice Versa”. The article was very forward thinking. To paraphrase Sarna, “[r]ealizing that there are many questions which historians cannot ask, let alone answer, unless their frames of reference extend beyond the narrow confines of just one country…Canadian historians and United States historians [have much] to learn from one another.[Furthermore, the] virtue of comparative history lies in the new and fruitful lines of inquiry, which by its very nature, it helps to generate.” While much academic sharing and collaboration has taken place across the world’s longest undefended border, no comprehensive work has been published on the matter of its Jewish heritage.

The Borderlands of Jewish Identity: The Jewish Experience between Canada and the United States seeks to fill this void. We are seeking scholarly abstracts that analyze the unique and/or common features of the Jewish experience (c.1760 to the present) of these two respective countries to reflect and build upon greater interest in determining both what shaped the Jewish communities on either side of our common border, and why they differed. We believe that this will better equip historians of Jewish heritage in North America to broaden their horizons and ask new questions, as well as answer old questions based on fresh comparative data. Senior, mid-level, and junior scholars are encouraged to be part of this project. Abstracts should be sent as .doc, .docx, or .pdf files by Monday, February 4th, 2013. Currently, this collection is under contract with Wilfrid Laurier University Press. Since the Press is based in Canada articles must utilize Canadian-style English (so, please set your spell-check accordingly). Abstracts (300-500 words) and a short C.V. (two pages maximum) should be sent to bstiefe@clemson.edu. Due to compliance for funding, we request that all submitters state their country of permanent residence AND citizenship(s). (People of all citizenships, nationalities, ethnicities, etc. are eligible for the project).

To encourage bi-national collaboration and learning, accepted authors will be asked to submit a draft half way into the project as well as review one or two draft papers by their peers in order to provide comments on their colleagues’ research in their section of the volume. Contributing authors are restricted to between 6,000 and 8,000 words per chapter (including end/foot notes). The Press uses the most recent edition of the Chicago Manual of Style and the Canadian Oxford Dictionary.

Queries are welcome in advance of the deadline:
Barry Stiefel, Co-Editor (USA)
Joint Program in Historic Preservation
College of Charleston/Clemson University
bstiefe@clemson.edu

Hernan Tesler-Mabe, Co-Editor (Canada)
Department of History
University of Ottawa/ l'Université d'Ottawa
htesl080@uottawa.ca