Jewish Cultural Studies by Simon J. Bronner will be published by Wayne State University Press in 2021. Jewish Cultural Studies charts the contours and boundaries of Jewish cultural studies and the issues of Jewish culture that make it so intriguing—and necessary—not only for Jews but also for students of identity, ethnicity, and diversity generally. In addition to framing the distinguishing features of Jewish culture and the ways it has been studied, and often misrepresented and maligned, Simon J. Bronner presents several case studies using ethnography, folkloristic interpretation, and rhetorical analysis. Bronner, building on many years of global cultural exploration, locates patterns, processes, frames, and themes of events and actions identified as Jewish to discern what makes them appear Jewish and why. For more information, see https://www.wsupress.wayne.edu/books/detail/jewish-cultural-studies

The Practice of Folklore: Essays Toward a Theory of Tradition by Simon J. Bronner has been named a winner of the 2020 Chicago Folklore Prize, sponsored by the American Folklore Society and the University of Chicago. The Prize is given for an outstanding book-length study of folklore in the past year. The Prize is the oldest international award for a publication in folklore. The book was also named by Choice Magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2020. https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/T/The-Practice-of-Folklore

Simon J. Bronner, Dean of the College of General Studies and Distinguished Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, delivered the 2020 Alan Dundes Memorial Lecture at the University of California-Berkeley.

Embodying Tradition: Strongmen and Strongwomen in Folklore and Sports 

Abstract: Beginning as folk cultural events in the 18th century and growing into contemporary media phenomena, “Strongest Man” and “Strongest Woman” contests have expanded around the globe. The contests and the idealization of “feats of strength” raise questions about meanings of embodiment in folkloristic terms. This presentation theorizes the modern representation of the giant muscular, powerful body within progressive egalitarian societies and will look into issues of the contested image of pre-industrial health and well-being in industrializing countries of Europe and North America, and later, within a supposedly global feminizing sedentary service and information economy.

For videos of the event, see http://folklore.berkeley.edu/alandundeslecture