Cham: A liminal figure

Description

Cham, one of the three sons of Noach, was born before the flood and entered the ark. After the flood Cham became a central figure in the shaming of his father Noach. Whereas it was Cham who left his father uncovered, it was his son Canaan, who was cursed to be a slave. Rabbinic exegetical texts give various explanations for this contradiction. In the tradition “the curse of Canaan” often became “the curse of Cham.” This curse was extended to include not only slavery, but also blackness. I will discuss rabbinic and medieval Jewish exegetical texts that deal with “the curse of Cham.” I will challenge the position of David Goldenberg that “no negative evaluations of real Blacks (as opposed to imaginary literary constructs) were found in … postbiblical Jewish sources.” Historical references to actual people are uncommon in rabbinic literature, yet the effects of literary constructs affected real black people.

Period	26 Jun 2025
Event title	European Association for Biblical Studies
Event type	Conference
Location	Uppsala, SwedenShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International