S2 E6 Picnicking at the End of Empire + Around AHA 2024
Feb 7, 2024
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Explore the picnicking practices of Sephardic Jewish communities in the late Ottoman Empire, focusing on food, setting, and cultural exchange. Discover the evolution and significance of picnicking in the Ottoman Empire, including the experiences of different social groups. Experience the Sephardic Los Angeles community and their global connections. Dive into attendees' experiences at the AHA conference, discussing panels on historiography, women in colonial Mexico, and race in the Atlantic world. Learn about the development of a new course on US women's history.
Sephardic picnics in the late Ottoman Empire reflected a growing leisure culture and blended Jewish and Mediterranean influences.
Picnics in Sephardic communities challenged traditional norms, blurred gender and social class boundaries, and provided opportunities for courtship and physical independence.
Deep dives
The Ever-Evolving Practice of Picnicking by Sephardic Jewish Communities in the Late Ottoman Empire
Sarah Stein explores the practice of picnicking by Sephardic Jewish communities in the Late Ottoman Empire, focusing on the picnic experience itself rather than broader themes like empire. These picnics were not just for Jews but also involved Christian and Muslim peers, reflecting a growing leisure culture. Each Sephardic community had its favorite picnic location, reflecting a blend of Jewish and Mediterranean influences. This practice was captured through photographs, which became more affordable and widespread, preserving the tradition across the Sephardic diaspora.
Picnicking as a Symbol of Freedom and Social Transformations
The picnic offered a sense of freedom, escaping crowded urban settings and societal expectations. It allowed for new forms of movement, from the body to the senses, and served as a way to challenge traditional norms. Picnics blurred the boundaries of gender and social class, providing opportunities for courtship, display of wealth, and expression of physical independence and interdependence. Sephardic picnics were marked by relaxation, pleasure, and a connection to the natural world, embodying the evolving political, social, and spatial changes in the late Ottoman Empire.
The Cultural Significance and Reinvention of the Sephardic Picnic
The Sephardic picnic was a reinvention of an old gender-segregated activity, expanding to become a popular pastime for men and women of all social classes. It represented an opportunity to transgress social boundaries and indulge in leisure and pleasure. Photographs from the era captured the changing dynamics of picnicking, with women reclining and engaging in physical contact, demonstrating new awareness and control of their bodies. The picnic became a symbol of a Mediterranean Jewish girlhood, shaped by nature, tactile pleasure, and the company of friends and family.
The Enduring Legacy of the Sephardic Picnic
The Sephardic picnic endured through crises and recovery, including the aftermath of the Holocaust. Sephardic Jews continued to picnic, capturing the joy and resilience of their communities. The practice continued to evolve, adapting to changing contexts and influences, while preserving the history and culture of Sephardic Jews. This article highlights the importance of these picnics as a form of history 'close to the ground,' reflecting the experiences and transformations within Sephardic communities during the late Ottoman Empire and beyond.
Sarah Abrevaya Stein presents her History Unclassified piece "Eating on the Ground: Picnicking at the End of Empire" on the picnicking practices of Sephardic Jewish communities in the late Ottoman Empire. Then History in Focus producers take you around the bustling corridors of this year's American Historical Association annual meeting in San Francisco.
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