Overview
My primary area of research is in the area of synagogue poetry ("piyyut") from Late Antiquity and the Byzantine period. I examine these works from a variety of perspectives, including literary, performative, and comparative (particularly with early Christian hymnography in Syriac and Greek), and also as a genre of early Jewish biblical interpretation. In recent years, I have begun to integrate the study of material culture into my analysis of these literary works, as part of taking a more fully "contextual" approach to literary analysis. My most recent work approaches late ancient hymnography through the lens of theater studies and performance.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Visiting Professor of Religious Studies
·
2023 - Present
Religious Studies,
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
·
2014 - Present
Duke Science & Society,
Initiatives
Education, Training & Certifications
The University of Chicago ·
2003
Ph.D.
Hebrew Union College ·
1998
M.A.
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ·
1994
B.A.