[The anthropology of women in the Orthodox Jewish community of Antwerpen: identity, emancipation and integration].

Abstract

This contribution contains a synthesis of the results of two socio-cultural anthropological research projects among Orthodox Jewry concerning the 'identity', 'emancipation' and 'integration' of women. First the meaning of female religiosity from the perspective of strictly Orthodox, including Chassidic, women is discussed. Whereas in the public and institutional religious sphere men are the paradigmatic "Orthodox Jews", due to the sacralisatie of daily life, religious roles for women are not less extensive or any less important but are predominantly situated in the private and domestic sphere. It is argued that from an anthropological and gender critical perspective, women's religious gender identity therefore cannot be straightforwardly interpreted as either "oppressed" nor "emancipator". The second study concerns Jewish Orthodox women (ranging from strictly to modern Orthodox) in Antwerp who transgress religious gender norms by studying or working in the surrounding secular society. Their life stories show very different trajectories of encounters with the "outside world" that are sometimes enriching yet sometimes also experienced in terms of intercultural conflicts. It is concluded that maintaining cultural identity, next to emancipation and integration from within the Orthodox Jewish community is not impossible, but that this requires minimal mutual dialogue and understanding.