R&L Logo R&L Logo
  • GENERAL
    • Browse by Subjects
    • New Releases
    • Coming Soon
    • Chases's Calendar
  • ACADEMIC
    • Textbooks
    • Browse by Course
    • Instructor's Copies
    • Monographs & Research
    • Reference
  • PROFESSIONAL
    • Education
    • Intelligence & Security
    • Library Services
    • Business & Leadership
    • Museum Studies
    • Music
    • Pastoral Resources
    • Psychotherapy
  • FREUD SET
Cover Image
Hardback
Paperback
eBook
share of facebook share on twitter
Add to GoodReads

Music and Religious Change among Progressive Jews in London

Being Liberal and Doing Traditional

Ruth Illman

This book analyses religion and change in relation to music within the context of contemporary progressive Judaism. It argues that music plays a central role as a driving force for religious change, comprising several elements seen as central to contemporary religiosity in general: participation, embodiment, experience, emotions and creativity. Focusing on the progressive Anglo-Jewish milieu today, the study investigates how responses to these processes of change are negotiated individually and collectively and what role is allotted to music in this context. Building on ethnographic research conducted at Leo Baeck College in London (2014–2016), it maps how theologically unsystematic life-views take form through everyday musical practices related to institutional religion, identifying three theoretically relevant processes at work: the reflexive turn, the turn within and the turn to tradition.
  • Details
  • Details
  • Author
  • Author
  • TOC
  • TOC
  • Reviews
  • Reviews
Lexington Books
Pages: 182 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅛
978-1-4985-4220-3 • Hardback • September 2018 • $111.00 • (£85.00)
978-1-4985-4222-7 • Paperback • July 2021 • $44.99 • (£35.00)
978-1-4985-4221-0 • eBook • September 2018 • $42.50 • (£35.00)
Subjects: Music / Religious / Jewish, Religion / Judaism / Reform, Religion / Judaism / Rituals & Practice, Social Science / Sociology of Religion, Music / Philosophy & Social Aspects

Ruth Illman is docent (associate professor) of comparative religion at Åbo Akademi University, Finland, and history of religions at Uppsala University, Sweden. She is currently the director of the Donner Institute for Research in Religion and Culture in Turku, Finland.

Introduction
1. Theoretical Starting Points
2. Entering the Ethnographic Field
3. Dinah: Radical and Liberal in Theology, Traditional in Practice
4. Micah: Music as a Bridge between Diverse Jewish Experiences
5. Esther: Singing as a Form of Understanding
6. David: The Wish to Have a Broader Sort of Thing
7. Rachel: “It’s Not the Words, It’s the Melodies”
Conclusion
This carefully researched book is based on the author’s longstanding experience. Its innovative exploration of how vernacular religion uses music to link with tradition has implications far beyond the community on which it is focused, particularly in the area of identity construction. Its lively use of narratives makes it a fascinating read.
— June Boyce-Tillman, University of Winchester


The main merit of Ruth Illman’s book is that it takes music seriously in the study of religion. She explores music as an instigator and insignia of religious change by carrying out in-depth, ethnographic research into the field of progressive Judaism. By doing this, Illman brings theory and the complexity of the everyday lived religion together in a well-structured book. She shows that musical practices provide a religious language that is border-crossing: merging the intellectual and the emotional, and facilitating interreligious explorations. Music is an intermediary space, or—as one of the interviewees says—‘In some ways music is the religious experience.’


— Martin Hoondert, Tilburg University


An important and innovative exploration of music, change, and tradition in the synagogue practice of progressive Jews in Great Britain. Ruth Illman’s engaging scholarship deepens our understanding of the centrality of music in contemporary religious life.


— Jeffrey A. Summit, Tufts University


In Music and Religious Change Among Progressive Jews in London: Being Liberal and Doing Traditional, Ruth Illman investigates three ‘turns’ in vernacular Judaism that have enabled five persons connected with London’s Leo Baeck College to experience more embodied, emotionally engaging, and distinctively Jewish expressions of faith: a reflexive turn (which addresses the importance of personal religious and spiritual choice), a turn within (which enables an emotional and embodied experience of doingJewish), and a turn toward tradition (which recovers the use of several practices of Orthodox Judaism within Liberal and Reform Judaism in England.) The key to this commitment to ‘being liberal and doing traditional’ for all five key narratives in the ethnographic study Illman presents is the role of music as both an instigator and an insignia of religious change within the synagogues in which each correspondent participates. Two practices characteristic of traditional Judaism that are vital to this Jewish sonic space are the inclusion of niggunim (wordless melodies that function as prayer) and nusach (chanting, rather than simply reading texts from Torah and traditional prayers of worship). Illman’s contribution to understanding the hunger for authentic practices of faith within Jewish communities in England is appreciated, and her discussion of the role of music in filling that hunger is significant.


— Alan Smith, Florida Southern College


Music and Religious Change among Progressive Jews in London

Being Liberal and Doing Traditional

Cover Image
Hardback
Paperback
eBook
Summary
Summary
  • This book analyses religion and change in relation to music within the context of contemporary progressive Judaism. It argues that music plays a central role as a driving force for religious change, comprising several elements seen as central to contemporary religiosity in general: participation, embodiment, experience, emotions and creativity. Focusing on the progressive Anglo-Jewish milieu today, the study investigates how responses to these processes of change are negotiated individually and collectively and what role is allotted to music in this context. Building on ethnographic research conducted at Leo Baeck College in London (2014–2016), it maps how theologically unsystematic life-views take form through everyday musical practices related to institutional religion, identifying three theoretically relevant processes at work: the reflexive turn, the turn within and the turn to tradition.
Details
Details
  • Lexington Books
    Pages: 182 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅛
    978-1-4985-4220-3 • Hardback • September 2018 • $111.00 • (£85.00)
    978-1-4985-4222-7 • Paperback • July 2021 • $44.99 • (£35.00)
    978-1-4985-4221-0 • eBook • September 2018 • $42.50 • (£35.00)
    Subjects: Music / Religious / Jewish, Religion / Judaism / Reform, Religion / Judaism / Rituals & Practice, Social Science / Sociology of Religion, Music / Philosophy & Social Aspects
Author
Author
  • Ruth Illman is docent (associate professor) of comparative religion at Åbo Akademi University, Finland, and history of religions at Uppsala University, Sweden. She is currently the director of the Donner Institute for Research in Religion and Culture in Turku, Finland.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Introduction
    1. Theoretical Starting Points
    2. Entering the Ethnographic Field
    3. Dinah: Radical and Liberal in Theology, Traditional in Practice
    4. Micah: Music as a Bridge between Diverse Jewish Experiences
    5. Esther: Singing as a Form of Understanding
    6. David: The Wish to Have a Broader Sort of Thing
    7. Rachel: “It’s Not the Words, It’s the Melodies”
    Conclusion
Reviews
Reviews
  • This carefully researched book is based on the author’s longstanding experience. Its innovative exploration of how vernacular religion uses music to link with tradition has implications far beyond the community on which it is focused, particularly in the area of identity construction. Its lively use of narratives makes it a fascinating read.
    — June Boyce-Tillman, University of Winchester


    The main merit of Ruth Illman’s book is that it takes music seriously in the study of religion. She explores music as an instigator and insignia of religious change by carrying out in-depth, ethnographic research into the field of progressive Judaism. By doing this, Illman brings theory and the complexity of the everyday lived religion together in a well-structured book. She shows that musical practices provide a religious language that is border-crossing: merging the intellectual and the emotional, and facilitating interreligious explorations. Music is an intermediary space, or—as one of the interviewees says—‘In some ways music is the religious experience.’


    — Martin Hoondert, Tilburg University


    An important and innovative exploration of music, change, and tradition in the synagogue practice of progressive Jews in Great Britain. Ruth Illman’s engaging scholarship deepens our understanding of the centrality of music in contemporary religious life.


    — Jeffrey A. Summit, Tufts University


    In Music and Religious Change Among Progressive Jews in London: Being Liberal and Doing Traditional, Ruth Illman investigates three ‘turns’ in vernacular Judaism that have enabled five persons connected with London’s Leo Baeck College to experience more embodied, emotionally engaging, and distinctively Jewish expressions of faith: a reflexive turn (which addresses the importance of personal religious and spiritual choice), a turn within (which enables an emotional and embodied experience of doingJewish), and a turn toward tradition (which recovers the use of several practices of Orthodox Judaism within Liberal and Reform Judaism in England.) The key to this commitment to ‘being liberal and doing traditional’ for all five key narratives in the ethnographic study Illman presents is the role of music as both an instigator and an insignia of religious change within the synagogues in which each correspondent participates. Two practices characteristic of traditional Judaism that are vital to this Jewish sonic space are the inclusion of niggunim (wordless melodies that function as prayer) and nusach (chanting, rather than simply reading texts from Torah and traditional prayers of worship). Illman’s contribution to understanding the hunger for authentic practices of faith within Jewish communities in England is appreciated, and her discussion of the role of music in filling that hunger is significant.


    — Alan Smith, Florida Southern College


ALSO AVAILABLE

  • Cover image for the book The Shofar: Its History and Use
  • Cover image for the book Toward the Infinite: The Way of Kabbalistic Meditation
  • Cover image for the book The New Zionists: Young American Jews, Jewish National Identity, and Israel
  • Cover image for the book The Synagogue Survival Kit: A Guide to Understanding Jewish Religious Services
  • Cover image for the book Applying Jewish Ethics: Beyond the Rabbinic Tradition
  • Cover image for the book The Cantor's Manual of Jewish Law
  • Cover image for the book 850 Intriguing Questions about Judaism: True, False, or In Between
  • Cover image for the book Surviving Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah: The Ultimate Insider's Guide
  • Cover image for the book Keeping God at the Center: Contemplating and Using the Prayerbook
  • Cover image for the book Hair, Headwear, and Orthodox Jewish Women: Kallah's Choice
  • Cover image for the book From Abraham to America: A History of Jewish Circumcision
  • Cover image for the book Unfinished Rabbi: Selected Writings of Arnold Jacob Wolf
  • Cover image for the book Quotations on Jewish Sacred Music
  • Cover image for the book Israeli Feminism Liberating Judaism: Blood and Ink
  • Cover image for the book Experiencing Jewish Music in America: A Listener's Companion
  • Cover image for the book Journey of a Rabbi: Vision and Strategies for the Revitalization of Jewish Life, Volume 1
  • Cover image for the book Social Functions of Synagogue Song: A Durkheimian Approach
  • Cover image for the book Psychological Perspectives on Traditional Jewish Practices
  • Cover image for the book Democracy and the Halakhah
  • Cover image for the book Major Knesset Debates, 1948-1981, Volume 6
  • Cover image for the book A Guide to Life: Jewish Laws and Customs of Mourning
  • Cover image for the book Jewish Tradition and the Non-Traditional Jew
  • Cover image for the book A Practical Guide to Torah Learning
  • Cover image for the book Love, Marriage, and Family in Jewish Law and Tradition
  • Cover image for the book Emotions in Jewish Music: Personal and Scholarly Reflections
  • Cover image for the book The Shofar: Its History and Use
  • Cover image for the book Toward the Infinite: The Way of Kabbalistic Meditation
  • Cover image for the book The New Zionists: Young American Jews, Jewish National Identity, and Israel
  • Cover image for the book The Synagogue Survival Kit: A Guide to Understanding Jewish Religious Services
  • Cover image for the book Applying Jewish Ethics: Beyond the Rabbinic Tradition
  • Cover image for the book The Cantor's Manual of Jewish Law
  • Cover image for the book 850 Intriguing Questions about Judaism: True, False, or In Between
  • Cover image for the book Surviving Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah: The Ultimate Insider's Guide
  • Cover image for the book Keeping God at the Center: Contemplating and Using the Prayerbook
  • Cover image for the book Hair, Headwear, and Orthodox Jewish Women: Kallah's Choice
  • Cover image for the book From Abraham to America: A History of Jewish Circumcision
  • Cover image for the book Unfinished Rabbi: Selected Writings of Arnold Jacob Wolf
  • Cover image for the book Quotations on Jewish Sacred Music
  • Cover image for the book Israeli Feminism Liberating Judaism: Blood and Ink
  • Cover image for the book Experiencing Jewish Music in America: A Listener's Companion
  • Cover image for the book Journey of a Rabbi: Vision and Strategies for the Revitalization of Jewish Life, Volume 1
  • Cover image for the book Social Functions of Synagogue Song: A Durkheimian Approach
  • Cover image for the book Psychological Perspectives on Traditional Jewish Practices
  • Cover image for the book Democracy and the Halakhah
  • Cover image for the book Major Knesset Debates, 1948-1981, Volume 6
  • Cover image for the book A Guide to Life: Jewish Laws and Customs of Mourning
  • Cover image for the book Jewish Tradition and the Non-Traditional Jew
  • Cover image for the book A Practical Guide to Torah Learning
  • Cover image for the book Love, Marriage, and Family in Jewish Law and Tradition
  • Cover image for the book Emotions in Jewish Music: Personal and Scholarly Reflections
facebook icon twitter icon instagram icon linked in icon NEWSLETTERS
ABOUT US
  • Mission Statement
  • Employment
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Statement
CONTACT
  • Company Directory
  • Publicity and Media Queries
  • Rights and Permissions
  • Textbook Resource Center
AUTHOR RESOURCES
  • Royalty Contact
  • Production Guidelines
  • Manuscript Submissions
ORDERING INFORMATION
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • National Book Network
  • Ingram Publisher Services UK
  • Special Sales
  • International Sales
  • eBook Partners
  • Digital Catalogs
IMPRINTS
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • Lexington Books
  • Hamilton Books
  • Applause Books
  • Amadeus Press
  • Backbeat Books
  • Bernan
  • Hal Leonard Books
  • Limelight Editions
  • Co-Publishing Partners
  • Globe Pequot
  • Down East Books
  • Falcon Guides
  • Gooseberry Patch
  • Lyons Press
  • Muddy Boots
  • Pineapple Press
  • TwoDot Books
  • Stackpole Books
PARTNERS
  • American Alliance of Museums
  • American Association for State and Local History
  • Brookings Institution Press
  • Center for Strategic & International Studies
  • Council on Foreign Relations
  • Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
  • Fortress Press
  • The Foundation for Critical Thinking
  • Lehigh University Press
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Other Partners...