JEWISHST 158 – 21st-Century U.S. Jewish Culture

JEWISHST 158 – 21st-Century U.S. Jewish Culture

Semester: Spring
Offered: 2023
Instructor: Josh Lambert
Meeting Time: W 12:00pm-2:45pm

At the end of the 20th century, critics and demographers alike predicted a dire future for Jewish culture in the U.S. Yet the popular and literary culture of the United States has been more deeply influenced by Jews in the first two decades of the 21st century than at any time since the late 1960s. Notwithstanding that it has been a period of appalling anti-Semitic attacks and rising white nationalism, Jews have played profound and influential roles in virtually every popular and prestigious cultural category in the U.S., including film, television, music, journalism, theater, poetry, fiction, comics, and video games. In this seminar, we will explore the complex positioning of Jews in the contemporary U.S. by examining exemplary works in a range of media and genres, with particular attention to the transformations wrought by new technologies, the influence of institutions, markets, and funding, and the work of Jews of color and LGBTQ+ Jews.

For more details please visit the Harvard Course Catalog.