This course will explore how popular culture engages with antisemitism. We will study a wide range of texts from different periods, including short stories and sitcoms, silent films and Netflix hits. We will examine how they engage with antisemitism, challenge and combat it, reflect on it, and sometimes, consciously or subconsciously, reflect it and perpetuate antisemitic stereotypes. Among others, we will discuss how the Austrian novel City Without Jews predicted the Holocaust; why Hollywood was so hesitant to produce Gentleman's Agreement and School Ties, two of the only films that directly confront antisemitism, and how it portrayed Deborah Lipstadt's battle against Holocaust deniers; and how Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, and French comedians use humor and self-deprecation to tackle attacks against their community. We will also see how popular culture views antisemitism in the broader context of White supremacy and violence directed at other minority groups. |