This research examines the construction of the ambiguous category of Jewishness through the affective ‘desire for Jewish identity’ expressed in a number of canonical post-war works of Jewish...Show moreThis research examines the construction of the ambiguous category of Jewishness through the affective ‘desire for Jewish identity’ expressed in a number of canonical post-war works of Jewish-American fiction by Philip Roth, Bernard Malamud, and Joshua Cohen. Building on recent work by Benjamin Schreier, Jonathan Freedman, and Walter Benn Michaels this thesis problematises the racial underpinning of Jewish identity, as well as reopening the broader question of the relation between race and culture in multicultural understandings of identity. Ultimately it makes an argument for the field of Jewish American studies to move away from a critical practice that begins with the prior category of “identity” towards one that places an analysis of the affective “desire for identity” at the heart of its critical project.Show less
A comparative analysis between Nella Larsen’s Passing, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half. The thesis explores the texts through the lens of trauma theory and...Show moreA comparative analysis between Nella Larsen’s Passing, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half. The thesis explores the texts through the lens of trauma theory and postcolonial theory and considers the relation between trauma, colorism and passing. It finds that even though all three novels challenged the notions of colorism (at their time of publication) through the use of narrative stylistics, they all use different strategies to achieve this objective. To be more specific, while Passing and The Bluest Eye use a narrative style which is associated with Modernism and Postmodernism, The Vanishing Half adopts narrative devices which can be best explained with postcolonial theory.Show less
This thesis analyzes the making of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a popular cultural celebrity in and through three cultural texts: the biopic 'On the Basis of Sex', the documentary 'RBG', and the...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the making of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a popular cultural celebrity in and through three cultural texts: the biopic 'On the Basis of Sex', the documentary 'RBG', and the book 'My Own Words'. The central concern is to explore how each primary source navigates the paradox of the impassioned celebrity figure, where there is a specific focus on the personal, and the dispassionate Supreme Court Justice, whose role is to be impersonal and ‘blind’. I argue that it is the careful construction of Ginsburg’s public persona by herself, and others engaged in representing her, that navigates this issue. Subsequently, I conclude that this negotiation is not to increase Ginsburg’s ego or material gain, but functions as a means to promote and strengthen the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States.Show less
This thesis examines the cultural Broadway phenomenon; Hamilton: An American Musical. Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical is lauded and critiqued for rewriting the history upon which it is based, creating...Show moreThis thesis examines the cultural Broadway phenomenon; Hamilton: An American Musical. Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical is lauded and critiqued for rewriting the history upon which it is based, creating a new foundation myth that is "America then, told by America now". Through a thorough examination of the source material that the musical is based upon, and its songs, this thesis aims to examine how the show defies the tradition of Founders Chic mythology and yet is a Founders Chic product at the same time.Show less
This thesis analyzes how the Republican Party profited from the actions of Senator Joe McCarthy, looking at the 1950s' senatorial elections and party politics of the same year. It argues that he...Show moreThis thesis analyzes how the Republican Party profited from the actions of Senator Joe McCarthy, looking at the 1950s' senatorial elections and party politics of the same year. It argues that he was a Faustian bargain the party accepted because they could profit from him. In addition, the thesis provides the reader with an account of the anticommunist tradition before McCarthy. Furthermore, the thesis criticizes the role of the media in sustaining the power of McCarthy, and looks at how McCarthy manipulated and used the press as his weapon to spread the anticommunist sentiment. Finally, the thesis draws lines between the Trump era and the McCarthy era.Show less
