Exceptional Selves Lab: Gender and Authority

Prof. Tamar Herzig

Dr. Einat Klafter

Throughout history and within different cultural contexts we encounter many examples of individuals who are elevated to positions of authority, considered exceptional, or are held up as subjects of fascination around whom communities of followers unite and a ‘cult of personality’ forms. While these exceptional individuals all present unique characteristics and personal traits, they are also particular examples of successful manipulations of common tropes and formulas. Within the lab’s interdisciplinary, cross-cultural and cooperative framework, we will study how such public personae are constructed, and how their authority and influence are established.

In the 2019-2020 academic year the lab will mainly examine religiously authoritative individuals, with a particular focus on gender, employing feminist theoretical approaches, seeking to analyze how gender relations impact the construction of spiritual