Philanthropic classism: Americanization as a controversial rite of passage in Anzia Yezirska's fiction

At the turn of the nineteenth century, eastern European Jewish families migrated to America aspiring to fulfil the discourses of upward mobility and religious tolerance widely spread throughout their Russian villages. The Polish-born American writer Anzia Yezierska offers unique sketches of what bec...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Campos, Rebeca E.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/101229
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/101229
https://doi.org/10.12795/REN.2019.i23.04
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:New Woman
Anzia Yezierska
Americanization
Jewish
Hybrid identity
Nueva Mujer
Americanización
Judía
Identidad híbrida
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network_name_str España
repository_id_str
spelling Philanthropic classism: Americanization as a controversial rite of passage in Anzia Yezirska's fictionCampos, Rebeca E.New WomanAnzia YezierskaAmericanizationJewishHybrid identityNueva MujerAnzia YezierskaAmericanizaciónJudíaIdentidad híbridaAt the turn of the nineteenth century, eastern European Jewish families migrated to America aspiring to fulfil the discourses of upward mobility and religious tolerance widely spread throughout their Russian villages. The Polish-born American writer Anzia Yezierska offers unique sketches of what became one of the most controversial experiences of such a journey: the cultural clash between the already Americanized German Jewish elite and the newly-arrived Russian Jewish women. To gain access to the public space, Yezierska’s characters seek social acknowledgement by going through a rite of passage surveilled by German Jewish ladies, who had formerly arrived in the United States. Although the process of Americanization becomes apparently attainable through American philanthropic programs and charity institutions, Yezierska shows how their Americanizing strategies and the models of America n femininity advertised in the period eventually failed to succeed. By developing a hybrid identity, Russian Jewish characters manage to legitimate their cultural differences inside the urban public spaces and beyond the Lower East Side context.A finales del siglo XIX, las mujeres inmigrantes judías provenientes de Europa del este dirigieron sus destinos hacia Estados Unidos tras recibir la influencia de los discursos de ascenso social y tolerancia religiosa difundidos a lo largo de las poblaciones rusas. Perteneciente a la segunda ola masiva migratoria hacia Estados Unidos la autora polaco-americana Anzia Yezierska rescata en su obra literaria fragmentos de uno de los dilemas más controvertidos de su viaje: el choque cultural entre la élite alemana judía ya americanizada y las mujeres judías recién llegadas desde Rusia. Para acceder al espacio público, sus personajes buscan el reconocimiento social a través de un ritual iniciático supervisado por las mujeres judías alemanas de mayor rango social, que habían migrado a Estados Unidos décadas antes. Aunque el proceso de americanización parece alcanzable a través de sus programas filantrópicos y las instituciones de caridad que regentan, Yezierska muestra cómo sus estrategias de americanización y los modelos de feminidad estadounidense finalmente fracasan. Las protagonistas encontrarán su diferencia cultural legitimada en el espacio público gracias a una identidad híbrida que les permitirá sobrepasar los límites del gueto neoyorquino del Lower East Side.Universidad de Sevilla2019info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/11441/101229https://doi.org/10.12795/REN.2019.i23.04reponame:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevillainstname:Universidad de Sevilla (US)InglésRevista de Estudios Norteamericanos, 23, 71-93.https://dx.doi.org/10.12795/REN.2019.i23.04info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:idus.us.es:11441/1012292026-06-17T12:51:07Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Philanthropic classism: Americanization as a controversial rite of passage in Anzia Yezirska's fiction
title Philanthropic classism: Americanization as a controversial rite of passage in Anzia Yezirska's fiction
spellingShingle Philanthropic classism: Americanization as a controversial rite of passage in Anzia Yezirska's fiction
Campos, Rebeca E.
New Woman
Anzia Yezierska
Americanization
Jewish
Hybrid identity
Nueva Mujer
Anzia Yezierska
Americanización
Judía
Identidad híbrida
title_short Philanthropic classism: Americanization as a controversial rite of passage in Anzia Yezirska's fiction
title_full Philanthropic classism: Americanization as a controversial rite of passage in Anzia Yezirska's fiction
title_fullStr Philanthropic classism: Americanization as a controversial rite of passage in Anzia Yezirska's fiction
title_full_unstemmed Philanthropic classism: Americanization as a controversial rite of passage in Anzia Yezirska's fiction
title_sort Philanthropic classism: Americanization as a controversial rite of passage in Anzia Yezirska's fiction
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Campos, Rebeca E.
author Campos, Rebeca E.
author_facet Campos, Rebeca E.
author_role author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv New Woman
Anzia Yezierska
Americanization
Jewish
Hybrid identity
Nueva Mujer
Anzia Yezierska
Americanización
Judía
Identidad híbrida
topic New Woman
Anzia Yezierska
Americanization
Jewish
Hybrid identity
Nueva Mujer
Anzia Yezierska
Americanización
Judía
Identidad híbrida
description At the turn of the nineteenth century, eastern European Jewish families migrated to America aspiring to fulfil the discourses of upward mobility and religious tolerance widely spread throughout their Russian villages. The Polish-born American writer Anzia Yezierska offers unique sketches of what became one of the most controversial experiences of such a journey: the cultural clash between the already Americanized German Jewish elite and the newly-arrived Russian Jewish women. To gain access to the public space, Yezierska’s characters seek social acknowledgement by going through a rite of passage surveilled by German Jewish ladies, who had formerly arrived in the United States. Although the process of Americanization becomes apparently attainable through American philanthropic programs and charity institutions, Yezierska shows how their Americanizing strategies and the models of America n femininity advertised in the period eventually failed to succeed. By developing a hybrid identity, Russian Jewish characters manage to legitimate their cultural differences inside the urban public spaces and beyond the Lower East Side context.
publishDate 2019
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2019
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/11441/101229
https://doi.org/10.12795/REN.2019.i23.04
url https://hdl.handle.net/11441/101229
https://doi.org/10.12795/REN.2019.i23.04
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Revista de Estudios Norteamericanos, 23, 71-93.
https://dx.doi.org/10.12795/REN.2019.i23.04
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Universidad de Sevilla
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Universidad de Sevilla
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
instname:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
instname_str Universidad de Sevilla (US)
reponame_str idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
collection idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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