Marc S. Bernstein
Associate Professor of Hebrew
Office: B-357 Wells Hall
Phone: 517-432-6209
Email: msb@msu.edu
M.A., Ph.D. Near Eastern Studies, Berkeley; Diploma in Arabic Studies, University of St. Andrews (Scotland)
B.A., Political Economy
Marc Bernstein is the coordinator of the program in Hebrew & Israeli Culture. He teaches modern Hebrew language and literature as well as courses (in English) on Israeli culture and society. His research interests center around two areas: in the field of modern Hebrew literature, he focuses on the use made by modern Hebrew authors of traditional motifs and topoi and the resultant “conversation” among these writers. In addition he works on the transfer of cultural artifacts between Muslim and Jewish societies; in particular, the pool of traditions surrounding biblical figures who also appear in Islam. A nineteenth-century Judeo-Arabic manuscript from Cairo retelling the story of Joseph son of Jacob is the basis of his book, Stories of Joseph: Narrative Migrations between Judaism and Islam (November 2006, Wayne State University Press). Professor Bernstein has been the recipient of a Fulbright award and an NEH summer fellowship, and is a member of the National Association of Professors of Hebrew, the Association for Jewish Studies, the Israel Studies Association, and the Society for Judaeo-Arabic Studies.