Itamar Ben Ami
Biographic Data
| ID | 168568 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Itamar Ben Ami |
| GIVEN NAMES | Itamar Ben |
| FAMILY NAME | Ami |
| SIGNATURE | BEN AMI I |
| AFFILIATIONS | Utrecht University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 6 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 2 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 6 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
The Mass Yeshiva Revolution and the Formation of Orthodox Robust Countercultures
This article contributes to the theorization of Orthodoxies as robust countercultures. Under secular conditions that no longer guarantee communal life, Orthodox projects turn to technologies of subject formation that center on the enculturation of the individual (rather than the community), cultivating a counter-habitus that enables him to inhabit a secular environment while countering it. I develop this theorization by conceptualizing the mid-tw…
A Crisis of Legitimacy
The purpose of this essay is twofold: first, to describe two waves of Jewish Orthodoxy’s reception of the idea of social science’s neutralization and, second, to explain why this rather technical question has been a source of both perplexity and inspiration for Orthodox thinkers. The essay illustrates the connection between social science’s neutrality and broader Orthodox concerns regarding the crises of legitimacy of both secular and religious p…
Isaac Breuer's Antiliberal Neo-Kantianism and the Politicization of Jewish Ultra-Orthodoxy
This article centers on the early writings of Isaac Breuer (1910–17), arguing that Breuer's radicalization of neo-Kantianism anchors his revolutionary call to politicize Jewish Orthodoxy. Moreover, it contends that neo-Kantianism, which is normally associated with liberal or social-democratic politics, was given a thoroughly antiliberal reading by Breuer that led to an antiliberal Orthodox politics. While the rise of non-Zionist political Orthodo…
How Jewish Orthodoxy Became a State
This article traces the incorporation of the modern state and the notion of sovereignty into Jewish Orthodox thought, culminating in the idea that the role of Orthodoxy is to establish a statist theocracy. Unlike narratives that emphasize the continuation of theocratic thought from ancient to modern Judaism on the one hand, and the relationship between religious Zionism and contemporary forms of Jewish theocracy on the other, my research reveals …
The Total State of the Torah
When did Orthodox Jewish politics become radical? Some contemporary forms of Orthodox politics incline indeed toward "totality" and antiliberalism; however, until the 1930s, Orthodox politics was mostly conservative and not radical. This essay excavates the invention of radical Orthodox politics in the writings of one of Agudath Israel's prominent ideologues, Isaac Breuer. Struggling with the crisis of modernity as it came to light in the Weimar …
Modern Haredim and Contemporary Haredi Society
Modern Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Israelis who have joined the army, workforce, and academia) are often perceived as a sign that contemporary Haredi society is becoming more liberal and Western. This article presents an alternative framework, which understands the challenge posed by modern Haredim to the classic Haredi society of learners not in terms of increasing liberalism but rather of increasing radicalism. What is peculiar to modern Haredim is…
The Total State of the Torah
When did Orthodox Jewish politics become radical? Some contemporary forms of Orthodox politics incline indeed toward "totality" and antiliberalism; however, until the 1930s, Orthodox politics was mostly conservative and not radical. This essay excavates the invention of radical Orthodox politics in the writings of one of Agudath Israel's prominent ideologues, Isaac Breuer. Struggling with the crisis of modernity as it came to light in the Weimar …
Modern Haredim and Contemporary Haredi Society
Modern Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Israelis who have joined the army, workforce, and academia) are often perceived as a sign that contemporary Haredi society is becoming more liberal and Western. This article presents an alternative framework, which understands the challenge posed by modern Haredim to the classic Haredi society of learners not in terms of increasing liberalism but rather of increasing radicalism. What is peculiar to modern Haredim is…
How Jewish Orthodoxy Became a State
This article traces the incorporation of the modern state and the notion of sovereignty into Jewish Orthodox thought, culminating in the idea that the role of Orthodoxy is to establish a statist theocracy. Unlike narratives that emphasize the continuation of theocratic thought from ancient to modern Judaism on the one hand, and the relationship between religious Zionism and contemporary forms of Jewish theocracy on the other, my research reveals …
The Total State of the Torah
When did Orthodox Jewish politics become radical? Some contemporary forms of Orthodox politics incline indeed toward "totality" and antiliberalism; however, until the 1930s, Orthodox politics was mostly conservative and not radical. This essay excavates the invention of radical Orthodox politics in the writings of one of Agudath Israel's prominent ideologues, Isaac Breuer. Struggling with the crisis of modernity as it came to light in the Weimar …
Isaac Breuer's Antiliberal Neo-Kantianism and the Politicization of Jewish Ultra-Orthodoxy
This article centers on the early writings of Isaac Breuer (1910–17), arguing that Breuer's radicalization of neo-Kantianism anchors his revolutionary call to politicize Jewish Orthodoxy. Moreover, it contends that neo-Kantianism, which is normally associated with liberal or social-democratic politics, was given a thoroughly antiliberal reading by Breuer that led to an antiliberal Orthodox politics. While the rise of non-Zionist political Orthodo…
A Crisis of Legitimacy
The purpose of this essay is twofold: first, to describe two waves of Jewish Orthodoxy’s reception of the idea of social science’s neutralization and, second, to explain why this rather technical question has been a source of both perplexity and inspiration for Orthodox thinkers. The essay illustrates the connection between social science’s neutrality and broader Orthodox concerns regarding the crises of legitimacy of both secular and religious p…
The Mass Yeshiva Revolution and the Formation of Orthodox Robust Countercultures
This article contributes to the theorization of Orthodoxies as robust countercultures. Under secular conditions that no longer guarantee communal life, Orthodox projects turn to technologies of subject formation that center on the enculturation of the individual (rather than the community), cultivating a counter-habitus that enables him to inhabit a secular environment while countering it. I develop this theorization by conceptualizing the mid-tw…
Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies (5 works) · Judaism (5 works) · Law (5 works) · Orthodoxy (5 works) · Philosophy (5 works) · Political science (5 works) · Theology (5 works) · Religious studies (4 works) · Jewish Identity and Society (3 works) · Politics (3 works)