Tommy Woodward

I am a teacher-scholar working in Jewish, religious, and biblical studies, researching the social uses of laughter in ancient Mediterranean communities. I am currently working on my first book project, Laughing Matters in Hellenistic Judaism, which analyzes the ways that Hellenistic Jews negotiated the norms and meanings ascribed to laughter. It reveals the ways that authors such as Philo, Josephus, and the New Testament evangelists synthesize preceding ideas into new theories of laughter that serve their interests, particularly in response to perceived hostility across ethnic and theological borders. Other research, such as my article titled “Attached Critique,” examines the uses of critique in the study of religion. I am excited to join Wake Forest University’s Department for the Study of Religions as a Visiting Assistant Professor for the next academic year and to collaborate with this community again, after earning an MA in the department in 2019.