Barbara Thiede

Ph.D., University of MissouriBarbara_Thiede_RELS

Judaic Studies; Liberal Studies

I hold an M.A. and my PhD in History from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a second M.A. from UNC Charlotte’s Department of Religious Studies. I joined the department in 2006. I teach a range of courses on the texts of Hebrew Bible, Jewish history, the history of European antisemitism, and Jewish magic. My current research project is a study of the ways women’s bodies become the site for the expression of male friendships and homosocial relationships in biblical texts.  I am currently working on a book for Routledge Press tentatively entitled Male Friendship, Homosociality, and Women in the Hebrew Bible: Malignant Fraternities. Upon finishing that book, I will move on to a mini-monograph (also for Routledge Press) currently titled Rape in the House of David: A Company of Men.

My pronouns are she, her, and hers.  My office is a Safe Zone.

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Community Talks

I head out into the community for presentations and talks on a regular basis. Topics range from Jewish practice and history to biblical texts (texts of terror, women in the Hebrew Bible, and the like).

Teaching

I love to teach.  That’s the most important thing. Head for the tab “Syllabi” above to see some of mine.

Most scholars believe that moose were not to be found in Ancient Israel. (photo, Ralf Thiede)

Most scholars agree that moose were not to be found in Ancient Israel. (Photo, Ralf Thiede)

Undergraduate Courses

  • RELS 2000 Religion and Magic
  • RELS 2104 Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament
  • RELS 2110 Judaism
  • RELS 3111 Women in Judaism
  • RELS 3000 Women in the Hebrew Bible
  • RELS 3000 God and Sex in Hebrew Bible
  • RELS 3000 Why God Lies: The Difficult Deity of the Hebrew Bible
  • RELS 3000 Where Abracadabra Comes From (Maybe): Magic in Judaism
  • RELS 4000 Ketuvim: The “Female Books” of the Hebrew Bible
  • RELS 4000 Devilish Strange: The Figure of the Jew in Western Traditions
  • RELS 4000 From Catastrophe to Cash: The Marketing of the Holocaust

Graduate Courses

  • RELS 5000 Ketuvim: The “Female Books” of the Hebrew Bible
  • RELS 5000 Turn the Other Cheek: The History of European Antisemitism
  • RELS 5000 From Catastrophe to Cash: The Marketing of the Holocaust
An ancient gaming board currently residing in The Oriental Institute of Chicago (photo by Ralf Thiede)

An ancient gaming board currently residing in The Oriental Institute of Chicago. That the museum name includes the word “oriental” should lead to discussion. Interested in finding out why? Check out what scholar Edward Said has to say at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVC8EYd_Z_g (Photo by Ralf Thiede)

Research Interests

They range. Biblical texts (and their historical contexts) fascinate me and I enjoy introducing students to their complex, multivalent nature. I have also spent many decades looking at the history of Jewish experience in Europe, focusing much of my attention on the way the Jew became a figure of mystery, threat, and outright danger for dominant cultures.