Jewish converts, their communities and experiences of social inclusion and exclusion in post-apartheid South Africa

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dc.contributor.advisorSitas, Arien_ZA
dc.contributor.authorKriel, Ellien_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2017-09-23T06:25:16Z
dc.date.available2017-09-23T06:25:16Z
dc.date.issued2017en_ZA
dc.description.abstractSet in a small minority community in South Africa, the Orthodox Jewish com-munity in Johannesburg, this study explores why a person would actively and volun-tarily seek minority status by converting into an ethnic-religious minority group. Taking a social constructionist approach to understanding religious conversion, it is argued that religious conversion to Orthodox Judaism is also a social process of becoming ethnically "Jewish". In this study, two types of converts are considered, namely con-verts who come to Judaism through marriage and converts for religious purposes. Through in-depth-interviews with rabbis and converts, experiences of social inclusion and exclusion, and the meaning of conversions is understood. This study finds that regardless of the path to conversion, belonging and identity are key reasons for con-version, and that it is an ethnic process that serves group and individual needs recip-rocally. At an individual level, becoming Jewish through conversion helps avoid social exclusion and achieves other social inclusions by acquiring membership in new com-munities and by forming new social identities. At a group level, the research shows that religious conversion is part of the group's broader concern for maintaining ethnic boundaries and is therefore an element of the politics of belonging. The research shows how conversion to a minority ethnic group in a plural environment becomes a social means to protect ethnic identity and avoid assimilation. By understanding con-version as the politics of belonging, the research explores the subjective experiences of citizenship at a group and individual level.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationKriel, E. (2017). <i>Jewish converts, their communities and experiences of social inclusion and exclusion in post-apartheid South Africa</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Sociology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25343en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationKriel, Elli. <i>"Jewish converts, their communities and experiences of social inclusion and exclusion in post-apartheid South Africa."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Sociology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25343en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationKriel, E. 2017. Jewish converts, their communities and experiences of social inclusion and exclusion in post-apartheid South Africa. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Kriel, Elli AB - Set in a small minority community in South Africa, the Orthodox Jewish com-munity in Johannesburg, this study explores why a person would actively and volun-tarily seek minority status by converting into an ethnic-religious minority group. Taking a social constructionist approach to understanding religious conversion, it is argued that religious conversion to Orthodox Judaism is also a social process of becoming ethnically "Jewish". In this study, two types of converts are considered, namely con-verts who come to Judaism through marriage and converts for religious purposes. Through in-depth-interviews with rabbis and converts, experiences of social inclusion and exclusion, and the meaning of conversions is understood. This study finds that regardless of the path to conversion, belonging and identity are key reasons for con-version, and that it is an ethnic process that serves group and individual needs recip-rocally. At an individual level, becoming Jewish through conversion helps avoid social exclusion and achieves other social inclusions by acquiring membership in new com-munities and by forming new social identities. At a group level, the research shows that religious conversion is part of the group's broader concern for maintaining ethnic boundaries and is therefore an element of the politics of belonging. The research shows how conversion to a minority ethnic group in a plural environment becomes a social means to protect ethnic identity and avoid assimilation. By understanding con-version as the politics of belonging, the research explores the subjective experiences of citizenship at a group and individual level. DA - 2017 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2017 T1 - Jewish converts, their communities and experiences of social inclusion and exclusion in post-apartheid South Africa TI - Jewish converts, their communities and experiences of social inclusion and exclusion in post-apartheid South Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25343 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/25343
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationKriel E. Jewish converts, their communities and experiences of social inclusion and exclusion in post-apartheid South Africa. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Sociology, 2017 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/25343en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Sociologyen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherSociologyen_ZA
dc.subject.otherSociology of Religionen_ZA
dc.titleJewish converts, their communities and experiences of social inclusion and exclusion in post-apartheid South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeDoctoral Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoral
dc.type.qualificationnamePhDen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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