Category talk:Academics and researchers of Jewish mysticism
Category name change[edit]
I changed the category name from "Academics of Jewish mysticism" to "Academics and researchers of Jewish mysticism" because this category includes independent researchers outside of Universities (Academia). Sometimes these researchers have a different, religious historical view.
- I think "Scholars of Jewish mysticism" is not a good category name, as it could cause confusion: too vague - this category is only for historian scholars, not traditionalist/modern theological scholars. Theologians, Kabbalists, Hasidic teachers, Neo-Hasidic teachers should not be placed here, unless they also wrote works of historical investigation/compilation/biographical study, etc. of Jewish mystical thought or history.
- I think "Historians of Jewish mysticism" is not a good category name either. University departments divide into 2: Department of Jewish Mysticism/Thought (the History of Ideas in Jewish mystical texts), and Department of Jewish History (Social/Political history). "Historians of Jewish mysticism" could be mistaken for the 2nd type only, while it is the 1st type that is most important to Jewish mysticism scholarship (Gershom Scholem's school, and independent religious historians etc.). This category is for academics in both departments who have studied Jewish mysticism, as well as independent researchers of Jewish mysticism.
Study of all/any form or era of Category:Jewish mysticism is included (Merkabah mysticism, Kabbalah, Sabbateanism, Hasidism, etc.).
Therefore, as Wikimedia Commons is for all languages, not just English, I think: Don't change the category name to "Scholars of Jewish mysticism", as if you then write the instruction, "only for historian/research scholars, not theological/traditional scholars", people may not understand it, and may incorrectly add images of mystics/theological scholars of Jewish mysticism - this category is not for them (unless they also wrote research on Jewish mysticism history). April8 (talk) 23:33, 9 February 2013 (UTC)