The Birth of a New Narrative: Jewish-American Autobiographical Writing

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Published: Dec 10, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.47743/lincu-2020-2-0173
Keywords:
autobiographical writing Jewishness YIVO contest memory Jewish immigration

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Ștefana Iosif
Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Romania

Abstract

The Jewish diaspora quickly became one of the most notable immigrant groups in the American context. Faced with an arduous process of assimilation and acculturation, as exiles, Jews in America felt the pressure of the difficult choice between preserving their tradition and adapting to the new pragmatism and materialism that their new circumstances required. The issue of accelerated assimilation and loss of Jewishness became a real concern. As such, initiatives such as the one proposed by the YIVO Institute of a contest for autobiographical writing belonging to Jewish immigrants, dedicated to protecting Jewishness, offered a forum for personal written histories, submitted in different languages, but united through their English translations. Autobiography, as an essentially American genre, constituted an auspicious venue of expression, thus aiding the communal efforts of (re-)shaping and (re-)defining what it meant to be a Jew and what it meant to be a Jewish-American.

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How to Cite
Iosif, Ștefana. “The Birth of a New Narrative: Jewish-American Autobiographical Writing”. Linguaculture, vol. 11, no. 2, Dec. 2020, pp. 77-86, doi:10.47743/lincu-2020-2-0173.
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Vol. 11 No. 2 (2020)
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Articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Author Biography

Ștefana Iosif, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Romania

Ștefana Iosif is a PhD student at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, conducting research focused on Jewish-American autobiographical writings. Additionally, she is an associate teaching assistant at the university level, with classes varying from Conversation Practicum to Medical English. She is an avid feminist and humanist, taking a special interest in social and cultural issues.

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