Wifes of commoners and Masculinity of the Rabbis

What is it about?

It is about humor, gender, and representations of the culture in the narratives. This article analyses the migration of rabbinic narrative traditions between the land of Israel and Babylonia and examines plot transformations in these narratives in order to illustrate the cultural differences between these two centers of rabbinic thought. In particular, I explore the positioning of women as an internal Other and the construction of a rabbinic, masculine identity that is distinct from the masculine identity of the common, unlearned man. I will look at some brief, entertaining stories about a few rabbinic sages and their interactions with unnamed women and unidentified unlearned men.

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Why is it important?

It gives better understanding to our own culture if we will better understand how ancient intellectuals coped with the problems of female inequality

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