Schneur Zalman Newfield is an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Social Sciences, Human Services, and Criminal Justice, at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, City University of New York.
“Degrees of Separation is an original and imaginative investigation
of the character and consequences of exiting closed and closely
knit religious communities. On the basis of extensive interviews
and observation of two Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in New
York—Lubavitch and Satmar—Newfield examines the experiences and
consequences of exiting. He rejects the taken-for-granted
assumption that exit can be clean and decisive and hence prefers to
talk about ‘exiting.’ Like whistleblowers, exiting individuals are
typically subject to symbolic attacks and are often regarded as
psychologically unstable by the community. Exiting can never be
complete, because individuals have deeply ingrained habits acquired
from early socialization in the community. Degrees of Separation is
not simply a study of religious communities; it offers important
insights into membership of and exit from any community or ‘total
institution.’”—Bryan S. Turner, Presidential Professor of
Sociology, Emeritus, Graduate Center of the City University of New
York, and author of The Religious and the Political: A Comparative
Sociology of Religion
“Degrees of Separation is a nuanced, sensitive book about
‘exiters’—those who leave their Hasidic communities of origin—for
all kinds of reasons. Newfield’s account moves beyond a simple
binarism, that of staying or going; instead he foregrounds the
complicated ways that exiters experience long-term liminality,
simultaneously attached to and independent of the totalizing
communities in which they grew up. Newfield has written an
accessible, fascinating book sure to be of great interest to a wide
audience—a real accomplishment.”—Ayala Fader, Professor of
Anthropology at Fordham University and author of Hidden Heretics:
Jewish Doubt in the Digital Age
"[A] fascinating and inspiring read that challenges readers to
consider the religious periphery of religious exiters and the
development of their new journeys.... Most importantly, it opens a
door to a largely unknown world full of mysticism and tradition and
highlights the struggle against its oppressive systems. Newfield’s
own positionality as an ex-Lubavitcher and the realization of his
own transcending liminality make this book a very informative yet
intimate story—a story of belonging, curiosity, and bravery but
also loss and grief."—Politics, Religion & Ideology
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