Institute for Sefardi and Anousim Studies: Mapping the Anousim Diaspora: Six Centuries of Pushing Borders

International conference to be held on March 23-24, 2015

The history of Iberian mass forced-conversions goes back more than 600 years. From the end of the fifteenth century we can find individuals and groups of Jewish origin all over the newly discovered territories and colonies of Spain and Portugal. The true religious and ideological identities of these New Christians have been at the heart of a heated scholarly debate for the past few decades.

After the abolition of the Iberian Inquisitions two centuries ago, suspected Judaizers were no longer prosecuted, and the Jewish origin of the descendants of Anousim largely sank into oblivion, hidden in the shadows of history. In recent decades we have witnessed a phoenix phenomenon of awakening and a growing desire among their descendants to reclaim the religious faith and national identity stolen from their ancestors. This phenomenon has been occurring throughout the Western Hemisphere and beyond. The magnitude and rapid spread of this awakening calls for research involving scholarly disciplines such as history, religion, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and genetics.

MAPPING THE ANOUSIM DIASPORA will focus on mapping the geography of the Anousim diaspora, both historical and contemporary, and shedding light on various perspectives of the recent phenomenon of the Retornados. We especially encourage broad papers that incorporate both past and present. While the intended conference audience will not be exclusively academic, papers are expected to represent the fruits of scholarly efforts.

The conference will have simultaneous English-Hebrew translation. Presentation summaries will be available in Spanish.