A Babble of Voices in the Neighbourhood: Challenges in the Study of Jewish Literatures between Languages and Disciplines

• Applicant: Dr. Judith Müller
• Subject Area: General and Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies ; European and American Literary and Cultural Studies ; Religious Studies and Jewish Studies
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 567874032

The network “A Babble of Voices in the Neighbourhood: Challenges in the Study of Jewish Literatures between Languages and Disciplines” deals with the thematic complex of Jewish literatures and multilingualism. Two aspects will particularly characterise the network's work: First, the content aspect, which aims at working with literary texts and analysing these texts for phenomena of multilingualism, taking into account theories of (literary) multilingualism. Second, the aspect of academic practice and thus the examination of Jewish literatures and their disciplinary localisation in academia in the German-speaking countries. The task of the network is to clarify theoretical concepts. To this end, the network endeavours to highlight aspects of multilingualism in German-Jewish literature and to raise awareness of the interconnectedness of Jewish literatures in Europe. By integrating Hebrew and Yiddish literature as well as Slavic, French and English Jewish literatures, the network contributes to the interconnectedness of the research context of Jewish literatures. The project aims to open up a discourse space in which both Jewish Studies and the participating philologies are represented and thus an exchange across disciplinary boundaries takes place. A unique feature of the network is the comprehensiveness with which Jewish literatures are researched in their multilingualism, which will lead to the clarification of theoretical concepts. The objectives of the network must be differentiated according to their internal and external effects. Within the network, the long-term establishment of communication and exchange channels that enable members to support each other in the examination of multilingual Jewish text cultures beyond the duration of the project is central. This is also where the external impact comes in: Research on Jewish literatures in the German-speaking countries will be strengthened in the long term. Partial results will be communicated on an ongoing basis through individual and collaborative publications. At the end of the project, the jointly developed content will be published in an edited volume. This will form the basis for a new understanding of multilingualism in Jewish literatures and is therefore also the main result of the network. Following the project, two main directions of impact will be emphasized: The strengthening of international cooperation in the form of conferences on specific topics of the network, which will be dealt with in greater depth and more concisely, and the strengthening of the focus on Jewish literatures in the German-speaking academy. This will be achieved, for example, through the acquisition of a research training group, a joint degree programme in Jewish Literatures or a handbook on multilingualism in Jewish literatures.

• DFG Programme: Scientific Networks