Digital Analysis of Female Agency in Hasidic Stories

• In Event: Women in Hasidism: New Perspectives Beyond the Debate

Abstract

This paper focuses on representations of female agency in Hasidic stories from the mid-nineteenth century. Methodologically, rather than relying solely on subjective human impressions or unsupported references, our textual analysis is also based on systematic, computer-aided quantitative examination. This paper will demonstrate the employment of distant reading and digital analysis on Hasidic stories, indicating their literary treatment of female characters. The ambiguous place of women in Hasidism has sparked a lively debated among scholars as early as the 1920s. Even in contemporary discourse, the role of women in Hasidism continues to be a topic of substantial scholarly contention. This paper revisits the Hasidic story, recognizing it as a popular product that both reflects reality and shapes reader’s consciousness, particularly in relation to women within Hasidic society. More specifically, sing digital tools and big data this paper delves into the realm of action, voice, context, and mobility for women as depicted in Hasidic stories. Our fundamental premise is that while the traditional view tends to cast the tsadik (the righteous Hasidic leader) as the central hero of Hasidic narratives, these stories also depict a variety of other characters, including the Hasidim. And just as male characters assume diverse roles – ranging from pious adherents, to rebellious and transgressors – all within the Hasidic milieu, women too occupy their own spectrum within the Hasidic world. This spectrum forms the focal point of our research, which demonstrate how distant reading and digital methodologies enables to draw a wider picture of female agency. In our research, rather than focusing on “righteous” (tsadikot) or “prominent” women (relatives of Hasidic rabbis) as has been the focus of scholarship so far, our research explores the range of actions, practices, and contextual environments in which women expressed their affiliation with Hasidism.

Authors

• Chen Mandel-Edrei, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

• Gadi Sagiv, The Open University of Israel