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Jang

Contesting Labeled Identities

The Sociology of Gentilics in Biblical and Northwest Semitic Literature

Medium: Buch
ISBN: 978-3-16-162672-2
Verlag: Mohr Siebeck
Erscheinungstermin: 30.06.2026
vorbestellbar, Erscheinungstermin ca. Juni 2026

Ki-Eun Jang analyzes the processes through which identity labels were claimed, disclaimed, and reappropriated in the ancient Near Eastern literary milieu. Central to her inquiry is the grammatical category conventionally termed "gentilics", whose modern genealogy stands in conflict with the ancient logics of identification that operated on different conceptual premises. The author argues that dominant ethnic and racial models - widely employed in biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies - impose assumptions that obscure their historical origins, theoretical limits, and methodological consequences. Engaging sociological and postcolonial critiques, particularly the Barthian paradigm of ethnic groups and boundaries, she traces the history of racial and ethnic thinking in the humanities and demonstrates its impact on the interpretation of ancient evidence. From a linguistic perspective, the author introduces the notion of relational adjectives to clarify the morphological, semantic, and ontological structures encoded in gentilics. This perspective illuminates logics of categorization that cannot be collapsed into modern ethnic typologies. Her analysis of labels such as "Philistine", "Hebrew", "Canaanite", "Aramean", and "Judean" in the Hebrew Bible and cognate literature reveals shifting mechanisms of belonging that shaped the social world of ancient scribes. Ki-Eun Jang thus shows how ancient evidence not only enriches historical reconstruction but also challenges dominant models of modern identity.

Ki-Eun Jang analysiert die vielfältigen Prozesse, durch die im altorientalischen Literaturmilieu Identitätsbezeichnungen beansprucht, zurückgewiesen und neu angeeignet wurden. Ausgangspunkt ist die grammatische Kategorie der Gentilicia, deren moderne Genealogie mit den antiken Logiken sozialer Zuordnung kollidiert. Die Autorin zeigt, dass herkömmliche Modelle von Ethnizität und Rasse, die in der altorientalistischen und bibelwissenschaftlichen Forschung häufig als erklärende Raster vorausgesetzt werden, methodische Probleme erzeugen, weil sie die historischen Voraussetzungen, theoretischen Prämissen und interpretativen Grenzen dieser Kategorien verkennen. Durch die Auseinandersetzung mit soziologischen und postkolonialen Kritiken - insbesondere mit dem Barth'schen Paradigma ethnischer Gruppen und Grenzen - rekonstruiert er die Wirkungsgeschichte ethnischer und rassischer Denkfiguren in den Geisteswissenschaften und legt deren Einfluss auf die Auslegung altorientalischer Texte frei. Im sprachwissenschaftlichen Zugriff führt er das Konzept relational-adjektivischer Formen ein, um die morphologischen, semantischen und ontologischen Strukturen zu bestimmen, die in Gentilicia Ausdruck finden. So wird sichtbar, dass diese Bezeichnungen vielfältige Relationen, Zugehörigkeiten und soziale Positionierungen verschränken, die sich modernen ethnischen Typologien entziehen. Die Analyse einzelner Fälle aus der hebräischen Bibel und verwandter Literatur, wie „Philister", „Hebräer", „Kanaanäer", „Aramäer" und „Judeer" zeigt, wie variabel die zugrunde liegenden Vorstellungen von Zugehörigkeit waren und wie sie die sozialen Mechanismen antiker Identitätsbildung prägten.


Produkteigenschaften


  • Artikelnummer: 9783161626722
  • Medium: Buch
  • ISBN: 978-3-16-162672-2
  • Verlag: Mohr Siebeck
  • Erscheinungstermin: 30.06.2026
  • Sprache(n): Englisch
  • Auflage: 1. Auflage 2026
  • Serie: Forschungen zum Alten Testament 2. Reihe
  • Produktform: Kartoniert, fadengeheftete Broschur
  • Seiten: 300
  • Format (B x H): 155 x 232 mm
  • Ausgabetyp: Kein, Unbekannt
Autoren/Hrsg.

Autoren

2021 Promotion an der New York University; Assistenzprofessorin für Hebräische Bibel und Bibel in globalen Kulturen an der Fordham University, USA.

Chapter 1: Introduction
A. The Sociological Questions about Gentilics
B. The Scope and Outline of This Study
Chapter 2: Gentilics and Ethnicity in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies: A History of Ideas
A. Gentilics: What Has Been Discussed So Far?
B. Ethnicity: Between Analytical Concept and Native Concept
C. The Legacy (and Limits) of Fredrik Barth: The 1969 "Introduction" and Beyond
D. Congruence of and Distinction between "Race" and "Ethnic Group"
E. Conclusion
Chapter 3: The Grammar of Ancient Identification
A. Introduction: Gentilics as Relational Adjectives
B. The Description of Relational Adjectives in Current Linguistics
C. The Description of Gentilics in Semitic Philology
I. Arabic
II. Egyptian
III. Hebrew
IV. Phoenician and Other Northwest Semitic Languages of Iron Age Inscriptions
V. Aramaic
VI. Akkadian
VII. Ethiopic (Ge?ez)
VIII. Ugaritic
D. Conclusion
Chapter 4: Identities in Flux: Manifestation in Practice
A. Introduction: Coping with Ancient Evidence
B. Overview of the Ancient Literary Milieu of Gentilic
C. The Problem of Classifying the Ekron Inscription: Philistine, Phoenician, Hebrew, or None of the Above?
I. Scholarly Debates on the Ekron Inscription and the Philistine Identity
II. A Re-examination of Linguistic Features
III. A Re-examination of Paleographic Features
IV. Conclusion
D. Saul's Israel, the "Hebrews," and Identity Politics in 1 Samuel 13-14
I. The Description of the Literary Context of 1 Samuel 13-14
II. The Problem of Identification in 1 Samuel 13:3 and 14:21
III. Saul's Israel and the "Hebrews"
IV. ?ibrum from Mari and the Early Representation of the "Hebrews"
V. The Philistine David and the "Hebrews" in 1 Samuel 29:3
VI. Conclusion
E. The Boundaries of Inclusion and Exclusion: Belonging to Multiple Identities and Becoming Internal Others
I. Biblical "Canaanite": Between Proper Name and Appellative
II. Being "Aramean" and "Judean" in the Book of Ezra and in the Elephantine Documents from Ancient Egypt
F. Conclusion
Chapter 5: Conclusion: Toward a Revamped Paradigm of Gentilics
A. Contributions of This Study and the Summary of Arguments
B. Implications and Future Directions

Chapter 1: Introduction
A. The Sociological Questions about Gentilics
B. The Scope and Outline of This Study
Chapter 2: Gentilics and Ethnicity in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies: A History of Ideas
A. Gentilics: What Has Been Discussed So Far?
B. Ethnicity: Between Analytical Concept and Native Concept
C. The Legacy (and Limits) of Fredrik Barth: The 1969 "Introduction" and Beyond
D. Congruence of and Distinction between "Race" and "Ethnic Group"
E. Conclusion
Chapter 3: The Grammar of Ancient Identification
A. Introduction: Gentilics as Relational Adjectives
B. The Description of Relational Adjectives in Current Linguistics
C. The Description of Gentilics in Semitic Philology
I. Arabic
II. Egyptian
III. Hebrew
IV. Phoenician and Other Northwest Semitic Languages of Iron Age Inscriptions
V. Aramaic
VI. Akkadian
VII. Ethiopic (Ge?ez)
VIII. Ugaritic
D. Conclusion
Chapter 4: Identities in Flux: Manifestation in Practice
A. Introduction: Coping with Ancient Evidence
B. Overview of the Ancient Literary Milieu of Gentilic
C. The Problem of Classifying the Ekron Inscription: Philistine, Phoenician, Hebrew, or None of the Above?
I. Scholarly Debates on the Ekron Inscription and the Philistine Identity
II. A Re-examination of Linguistic Features
III. A Re-examination of Paleographic Features
IV. Conclusion
D. Saul's Israel, the "Hebrews," and Identity Politics in 1 Samuel 13-14
I. The Description of the Literary Context of 1 Samuel 13-14
II. The Problem of Identification in 1 Samuel 13:3 and 14:21
III. Saul's Israel and the "Hebrews"
IV. ?ibrum from Mari and the Early Representation of the "Hebrews"
V. The Philistine David and the "Hebrews" in 1 Samuel 29:3
VI. Conclusion
E. The Boundaries of Inclusion and Exclusion: Belonging to Multiple Identities and Becoming Internal Others
I. Biblical "Canaanite": Between Proper Name and Appellative
II. Being "Aramean" and "Judean" in the Book of Ezra and in the Elephantine Documents from Ancient Egypt
F. Conclusion
Chapter 5: Conclusion: Toward a Revamped Paradigm of Gentilics
A. Contributions of This Study and the Summary of Arguments
B. Implications and Future Directions