Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Western readers, whether casual or specialist, including those who have a specific interest in the study or Jewish history, are generally only aware of the two main branches of Judaism: the Ashkenazim of European origin and the Sephardim, the latter being often lumped together with a vaguely defined group of Middle Eastern—“Mizrahi”—Jews. Very few of them are familiar with the history of geographically dispersed diasporas such as the communities in India, China, Ethiopia, and Africa, which reveal the fascinating diversity of the Jewish people. The reason for this is quite simple: there is a dearth of reference works, to say the least, that integrate the local chronicles of those “far-flung” Jewish Diasporas of the Orient, Asia, Africa, and so on—that place them within the context of a more global history. Having existed both geographically and symbolically at the margins of Jewish history, they have been excluded from the greater narrative of “Universal Jewish History”—which appears, in retrospect, very much limited to the Western centered world history. In a spirit of interdisciplinarity, the author has gathered scholars from around the world that have been plowing through the masses of archives, travelers’ logs, and local chronicles to sort out the dynamics of those lesser-known, and often slumbering, worlds. The author aimed at giving a general view of the origins of these Jewish societies, of their histories, their origins, their identities, be they very ancient or born during recent times, atypical or complex in their Jewishness.</jats:p>