Marissa Herzig

Very broadly, my research focuses on the nonhuman in Jewish folklore. I am particularly interested in how the category of the 'human' as a white, European man inherently perpetuates a racialized and sexualized nonhuman counterpart. By engaging with liminal figures who unsettle the binary of the human and the nonhuman, such as mythical creatures, animals, and particularly plant forms, in adaptations of Jewish folklore, my research hopes to elucidate how contemporary Jewish women authors are reimagining the potential of the nonhuman in resisting racist and patriarchal systems of domination.

Additional Information

I am in the Jewish Studies Collaborative Program, and I am also a current Resident Junior Fellow at Massey College.