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Speaking as a Jew: On the Absence of a Jewish Speaking Position in British Cultural Studies

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This article addresses the problem of the reasons for the absence of a Jewish voice in British cultural studies. It uses this problem as a way into the broader problem of the absence of a Jewish voice in post-Second World War discussions of 'race' and subalternarity. The article discusses how those identified as Jews were ambivalently constructed as both 'white' and 'Other', and as both members of the British state and as excluded from it. This is tracked in connection with cultural studies by way of the work of Matthew Arnold, T.S. Eliot and Raymond Williams. It is argued that the assimilationist bargain, rights in return for assimilation, coupled with the ambivalent status accorded Jews have made it difficult for Jews to speak out the way excluded groups such as blacks have done over the last few years. 

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1(3)

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307-325

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Speaking as a Jew: On the Absence of a Jewish Speaking Position in British Cultural Studies

Bibliographic Information

Jon Stratton Speaking as a Jew: On the Absence of a Jewish Speaking Position in British Cultural Studies. European Journal of Cultural Studies. 1998: 307-325.  https://archive.jpr.org.uk/object-uk122