Philology in Hebrew Studies

Call For Papers: In “Archive Fever,” Jacques Derrida asks: "How does one prove in general an absence of archive, if not in relying on classical norms (presence/absence of literal and explicit references to this or to that, to a this or to a that which one supposes to be identical to themselves, and simply absent, actually absent, if they are not simply present, actually present?" For the 2023 annual meeting, Philology in Hebrew Studies would like to consider the theme of “Archival Absences.” Why do biblical texts and many Second Temple texts demonstrate a knowledge of prior texts but avoid direct reference to them? Even when texts, such as the Pentateuch, seem to be in view in one form or another, how are we to explain the noted inexactitude of their citation? What sort of understanding of what a text is does such reticence entail? How is textual knowledge represented in biblical texts? As a practical matter, in the absence of explicit treatment, how are we to determine the presence of earlier texts in later ones? To address these and other related questions, we plan to hold two sessions: 1) an invited panel on “Archival Absences” and 2) an open session in which we encourage papers that address the above theme, though papers on any topic related to the work of the unit will be considered.

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