Book Talk with Author Jessica Roda

Mainstream views often depict ultra-Orthodox women as oppressed and only empowered when leaving their community, but For Women and Girls Only challenges this notion. Based on six years of research in New York and Montreal, Jessica Roda's book showcases how these women are creatively thriving through performances and media tailored to their modesty standards. The book also explores the entanglement between these observant female artists and those who left religion and became public performers, highlighting how technology has enabled them to carve out unique artistic and economic spaces, contradicting stereotypes and offering new insights into their vibrant cultural contributions.

Guest Speaker: Jessica Roda, Assistant Professor of Jewish Civilization, Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Bio: An anthropologist and ethnomusicologist trained in Europe and North America, her research spans music, religion, cultural heritage, gender, and media. She is the author of The Judeo-Spanish of France: Family, Community and Musical Heritage (2018, PUR, France) and For Women and Girls Only: Reshaping Jewish Orthodoxy Through the Arts in the Digital Age (New York University Press, March 2024).

Host or Publisher Institute of Arts & Humanities