Thinking in binaries ("us" versus "they") has often been identified as a characteristic of modern Western societies. This is reflected in the ubiquitous concept of "identity," both in colloquial and academic discourse, which emphasizes differentiation from the non-identical or the Other. In contrast, the self-perception of diasporic Jews draws more from their being in simultaneous relation with various others and their continual praxis of translation between different collectives.

This volume presents a series of detailed studies that examine the relational and culturally translated Jewish self-understanding, particularly of Sephardic Jews in the Maghreb, Mashriq, and Yemen. Relationality arises not necessarily from what different groups have in common but also from the very differences that define them.

While the significance of mobility and translocal communication during the Sephardic Middle Ages—such as between Córdoba, Fez, Cairo, and Baghdad—has been recognized, this volume shifts the focus to the relational practices and rationalities of modern Jewish life in those Muslim countries.