Abstract

For my Independent Study, I am researching how the Jewish-Argentine identity is preserved and reconstructed through five Jewish-based museums and organizations in the city of Buenos Aires. Argentina is home to the fifth largest Jewish population in the world, as well as the second largest haven for the Diaspora Jew. The museums and organizations I am focusing on include AMIA (Argentine Israelite Mutual Association), El Museo Judío (The Jewish Museum), El Centro Ana Frank Argentina (The Anne Frank Center), Memoria Activa (Active Memory), and El Museo de la Inmigración (The Immigrant Museum). More specifically, I am analyzing how this collective identity permeates the Argentine culture via photography, memory, and the physical and symbolic representations included in the museum collections. I am using the Argentine author, Ana María Shua’s fictional work, El Libro de los Recuerdos (The Book of Memories), as a foundational text to explore the impact of memory on the reconstruction and preservation of identity. I will also be studying the impact of other sub-factors that have helped shape this collective Jewish-Argentine identity, including anti-semitism, culture shock, and assimilation.

Advisor

Palmer, Cynthia

Department

Spanish

Disciplines

Jewish Studies | Latin American Languages and Societies | Latin American Literature

Keywords

Jewish, Argentine, Identity, Construction, Preservation, Museums

Publication Date

2014

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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