Jewish Souls; Bureaucratic Minds examines the phenomenon of Jewish bureaucracy in the Russian empire-its institutions; personnel; and policies-from 1850 to 1917. In particular; it focuses on the institution of expert Jews; mid-level Jewish bureaucrats who served the Russian state both in the Pale of Settlement and in the central offices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in St. Petersburg. The main contribution of expert Jews was in the sphere of policymaking and implementation. Unlike the traditional intercession of shtadlanim (Jewish lobbyists) in the high courts of power; expert Jews employed highly routinized bureaucratic procedures; including daily communications with both provincial and central bureaucracies. Vassili Schedrin illustrates how; at the local level; expert Jews advised the state; negotiated power; influenced decisionmaking; and shaped Russian state policy toward the Jews. Schedrin sheds light on the complex interactions between the Russian state; modern Jewish elites; and Jewish communities. Based on extensive new archival data from the former Soviet archives; this book opens a window into the secluded world of Russian bureaucracy where Jews shared policymaking and administrative tasks with their Russian colleagues. The new sources show these Russian Jewish bureaucrats to be full and competent participants in official Russian politics. This book builds upon the work of the original Russian Jewish historians and recent historiographical developments; and seeks to expose and analyze the broader motivations behind official Jewish policy; which were based on the political vision and policymaking contributions of Russian Jewish bureaucrats.Scholars and advanced students of Russian and Jewish history will find Jewish Souls; Bureaucratic Minds to be an important tool in their research.
#3209161 in Books University of Virginia Press 2013-03-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .74 x 5.98l; 1.07 #File Name: 0813934435328 pages
Review
3 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Primary Sources are betterBy wgreenThe Secondary Sources tend to be politically motivated. There is a difference between 1) knowing a subject; and 2) loving a subject. Many Jefferson scholar's loathe Jefferson; and claim that their bias is "disinterested and objective." In reality; they're ignorant. The reading is Course Work. If you don't need it for a paper; don't buy it.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Jefferson ClassicismBy SteveBThomas Jefferson; the Classical World; and Early America; edited by Peter S. Onuf and Nicholas P. Cole is a collection of essays from various classical scholars that attempts to flesh out the degree of influence classicism had on Jefferson; both personally and politically. This is no easy task; as the architect of Monticello; one of the most famous examples of neo-classical buildings in early America; and the scholar who was fluent in both Greek and Latin; in a letter to John Adams; "ridiculed Plato's Republic; and in other correspondence; he dismissed the importance and refused to bemoan the loss of major portions of Aristotle's Politics;" (56). Evidently; Thomas Jefferson's views on the relevance and importance of classicism was at best conflicted.This collection contains ten essays broken down into two parts: Jefferson's Classical World and Classical Influences. By keeping the focus broad the editors have done an excellent job of allowing the authors to present a vivid picture of the intellectual world of the Revolutionary period. Because of this; we are able to place Jefferson's worldview within the context of his peers; and what emerges is a Jefferson who is not inline with many of his contemporaries in terms of classical thought.Giving a thoughtful review of a collection of essays which cover such a scope as this; which ranges from such topics as classical moral theory; to childrearing and education; to an analysis of George Washington as Cincinnatus; to Aristotle and King Alfred; and to Pericles in America is challenging to say the least. However; the editors have again done an excellent job at collating these diverse essays into an insightful whole; which generally paints a cohesive picture of a Jefferson who; while personally enamoured with classical language; writings and architecture; none the less views ancient political theory with suspicion. While the individual authors in this book may disagree about whether the classics were foundational or illustrative for Jefferson; the overall books allows for a more open-ended dualistic answer.
