Dr. Alexander Samely

Biography

Alexander Samely holds an MA in Philosophy from Frankfurt (1985) and an MSt in Jewish Studies from Oxford (1984), as well as a DPhil in Oriental Studies (Targums) from Oxford (1989). He led a major AHRC project on the typology of pseudepigraphic anonymous Jewish literature from 200 BCE to 700 CE between 2007 and 2012 and produced a new descriptive approach for ancient Jewish literature known as the Manchester-Durham Inventory. Samely has a keen interest in the phenomenological study of text meaning and is currently working on a monograph titled 'Reading and Experience: A Philosophical Investigation,' which will be included in the Contributions to Hermeneutics series published by Springer. His research encompasses the literary structures of ancient Jewish literature, including biblical and Talmudic narratives, as well as philosophical thought from influential figures such as Spinoza, Kant, Husserl, Rosenzweig, and Levinas. Samely also co-edits the monograph series Studia Judaica, published by Walter de Gruyter/Brill, working alongside scholars from various distinguished institutions. He actively convenes the Manchester Phenomenology Reading Group where discussions revolve around contemporary philosophical texts, including a upcoming focus on Deleuze's 'Difference and Repetition.'

Research Interests