A Postcolonial Reading of Joseph and Aseneth

Joseph and Aseneth is borne out of a certain construction of the Other. It is written with the objective of explaining or justifying to fellow Jews and Jewish sympathizers the intrusion of a non-Jewish woman (Aseneth, the daughter of an Egyptian priest) into the life of a biblical hero, Joseph. This study demonstrates that a postcolonial reading of this ancient tale can shed significant light on the different constructions of Otherness and gender relationships manufactured in the text.