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Doctoral Proposal Conflict and Creativity in Jewish Modern Orthodox Girls’ Education: Navigating Tradition and Modernity by Rafael Mark Cashman A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Rafael Mark Cashman (2015) Conflict and Creativity in Jewish Modern Orthodox Girls’ Education: Navigating Tradition and Modernity Rafael Mark Cashman Doctor of Philosophy Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning University of Toronto 2015 Abstract This study investigates Jewish Modern Orthodox girls’ dissonant, creative and adaptive responses to their religious and gender identities as they negotiate the tensions between authority and autonomy in an all-girls’ high school. It considers how the school, as a socializing agent, plays a role in this development. This study is framed by a post-structural research agenda that explores the complexity of religious practices in modernity, and a feminist post- structural body of research around alternative girlhoods in modernity. This ethnographic study contends with the notion that the presence of autonomy and other modern values such as egalitarianism, are a necessary challenge to the girls’ capacity to accept religious and patriarchal authority in a self-affirming way. Instead, it found that girls accept or creatively adapt to, and rarely dissent from, aspects of religion’s authority, while still maintaining their expectation of autonomy and egalitarianism. They achieved this state through a complex and creative re-structuring of normative religious categories in their religious lives, rather than through a bifurcation of the competing discourses, as had been posited in previous research. Existing gender norms in Modern Orthodox society reinforced the girls’ lack of dissonance. ii Even where girls bifurcated between their religious and social lives in order to maintain each, aspects of creativity emerged. For example, in their non-ritual lives inequality was an anathema, but they were not bothered by ritual inequity. They accepted and even supported their exclusion from certain rituals because they felt it afforded them more, not less autonomy, by freeing them from unwanted religious responsibilities. In this way, they used existing patriarchal structures to achieve what they understood as a personal advantage. Several themes emerged from this study. First, modern religious practitioners who live within divergent discourses re-form and re-create traditional categories in order to live holistic modern-religious lives within the inherited structures of traditional religion. Second, gender plays a role both in supporting existing norms, but also afford opportunities to challenging them. Third, despite the strong presence of autonomy amongst the girls, dissonance toward religious authority was surprisingly low. iii Acknowledgments “I will sing to God for He has been good to me.” -Psalms 13, 6 I write these words, and my heart overflows with gratitude. As my mind rolls back over these last years of research and learning and all the people who pushed me forward, I feel full recognizing the bounty of gifts and opportunities I’ve been given. Supporting my material well being in these years, I give deep thanks to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture for their doctoral awards. I’m also very grateful to have received the Network for Research in Jewish Education Emerging Scholar Award, and the wonderful supportive community that it came with. As much as the Wexner Foundation was generous in also supporting my doctoral work financially, I would have spent my years as a graduate fellow gratis, given all I have received from that community, and all the amazing people that support the work of the foundation. To a wonderful committee – Drs. John Portelli, Kathleen Gallagher, Jon Levisohn. You have been extraordinary teachers, mentors and a support in so many ways. Thank you. I’ve had many teachers, but one more than others. Rabbi Applebaum - you always encouraged the academic part of my soul when I had a hard time acknowledging it myself, and nurtured me in so many ways beyond. So much of my journey is a credit to your insight, patience and generosity of spirit. To my dearest and most beautiful girls – Ora, Shevi and Simi. Walking in the door after work to hear your voices is the happiest moment of each day. You are beautiful treasures to me, each in your own way, and I love you all. With each word of thanks, my gratitude grows and my words become increasingly constrained. To my parents, Frank and Marlene Cashman – you are two of the most extraordinary people I’ve ever known, and to have the privilege of being your child is a gift I feel unworthy of. You have given to me endlessly, always with support and never criticism (except as was appropriately due!), and there is no way I could be where I am without you. Above all, Risa. I was only part of a person when we met, and am whole because of you. You make all my dreams possible. You are the love of my life, and I thank God daily for this gift. And finally: “You have turned my sorrow into dancing” (Psalms 30, 12). Thank You. iv Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………ii Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………….iv Appendices……………………………………………………………………………….vii Chapter 1: Introduction…...…...…………………………………………………………. 1 1.1: Theoretical framework………………………………………….…………… 2 1.2: Rationale for the study………………………………………………………. 4 1.3: Research context and methodology……………………………………...… 10 1.4: Overview of the dissertation………….…………………………..………... 11 1.5: Concluding remarks………………………………………………………... 13 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature…………………………………………………….. 15 2.1: An introduction to Modern Orthodoxy…………………………………...... 15 2.2: Conceptualizing modernity and tradition in interaction…….……………... 26 2.3: Research in the study of religion and religious education…………………. 36 2.4: Religious women’s life in modernity…………………….………………… 39 2.5: Feminism, girls, and learning from religion………………....…....……….. 47 2.6: Alternative girlhoods in modernity………………………....…...……….… 50 Chapter 3: Methodology and Methodological Concerns……………….…...………..… 56 3.1: Feminist concerns in qualitative research………………….….……...……. 56 3.2: Ethnography, semi-structured interviews and the needs for qualitative research…....……………………………………………………………………. 61 3.3: Release points……………………………………………………………… 63 3.4: Gender in the Orthodox world……………………...……………………… 64 3.5: Research site……………...………………………………………………... 67 3.6: Participants……………...………….……………………………...…….…. 69 3.7: Data collection……………………..…………...……………….…………. 70 3.8: Positioning of the researcher…………………….…………...………….…. 72 3.9: Concluding remarks………………………………………………………... 75 Chapter 4: Findings – Part One, Authority and Autonomy: Creative, Adaptive and Dissonant……………………………………………………………… 4.1: A composite day at Yehudia……...………….……………………….……. 77 4.2: Learning to choose…………………………………………………………. 82 4.3: Reasons to choose………………………………………………………….100 4.4: Halachic contingency……………………………………………………... 112 4.5: Exploring the discourse of halachic contingency………..……………….. 115 4.6: Textual-moral framework……………………………………………….... 129 4.7: Exercising religious freedom- Religious life in and out of school……….. 143 4.8: Where is the passion? Learning Torah beyond school………………….... 162 4.9: Concluding remarks…………………………………………………….… 167 Chapter 5: Findings- Part 2, Gender in Modern Orthodoxy…………………………... 169 5.1: Following the rules- It’s a girl thing……………………………………… 169 v 5.2: Ruach as loud, Quiet as obedience……………………………..………… 178 5.3: Expectations of equality…………………………………………...……... 183 5.4: Rejecting and reconstituting a Modern Orthodox feminism……………... 193 5.5: Orthodox feminism: Separate but equal………………………………….. 198 5.6: Learning Talmud………………………………………………………….. 214 Chapter 6: Conclusion………………………………………………………………… 222 6.1: Creative, Adaptive and Dissonant Responses to Living between Modernity and Orthodoxy…………………………………………………………………….. 225 6.2: Gender and modern religious life……………………………………….……. 235 6.3: Implications for modern religious education…………………………………..241 6.4: Limitations of this study………………………………………………...……. 246 6.5: Recommendations for further research……………………………………….. 248 6.6: Concluding remarks……………………………………………………...…… 250 References………………………………………………….………………………….. 251 Glossary……………………………………………………………………………….. 258 vi Appendices Appendix A - Student Interview Protocol…………………………………………... 261 Appendix B - Guidelines for Video Project………………………………………… 263 Appendix C – Student Informed Consent Letter……………………………………. 264 Appendix D - Administrator Informed Consent Letter……………………………... 267 Appendix E - Teacher Informed Consent Letter……………………….…………… 269 vii Chapter 1: Introduction Mainstream Modern Orthodox Judaism embraces modern thought and traditional Jewish learning as epistemologically compatible (Bieler, 2008; Sacks, 1990; Schacter, 1989; Weinberg, 2008). As a result, Modern Orthodox high schools support the active pursuit of both general and Jewish knowledge under the assumption of compatibility, and without concern that they are at odds (Lehmann, 2007). Recent research has begun to question this compatibility, specifically as it relates to the divergent discursive and social practices within each knowledge domain (Brill 2004; Lehmann, 2009, 2010; Segal & Bekerman, 2009). Tensions have emerged where the autonomy and self-determination encouraged
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