Champion of the Oppressed: Redescribing the Jewishness of Superman as Populist Authenticity Politics
Commentators largely agree that the character Superman is rooted in his creators' Judaism. The present article supplements such research by historicizing Superman's Jewishness vis-à-vis the populist politics of the left from which he emerged, namely the social movement known as the Popular...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
University of Saskatchewan
[2017]
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| In: |
Journal of religion and popular culture
Year: 2017, Volume: 29, Issue: 2, Pages: 132-146 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Superman, Fictitious character
/ Political identity
/ Ethnic identity
/ Superman (Comic strip)
/ Judaism
/ Popular Front (USA)
/ Marxism
/ History 1938-1939
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| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy BH Judaism KBQ North America |
| Further subjects: | B
Superman
B Superheroes B Jewishness B authenticity politics B Judaism B Popular Front B Comic Books |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Commentators largely agree that the character Superman is rooted in his creators' Judaism. The present article supplements such research by historicizing Superman's Jewishness vis-à-vis the populist politics of the left from which he emerged, namely the social movement known as the Popular Front (1934-39)a leftist political coalition marked by significant Jewish involvement. Examining the first year of Superman comic books (Action Comics #1-12, June 1938-May 1939), this article will suggest that the creators of Superman may have deployed the Kryptonian hero to delineate the proper relationship between ethnic and religious Jewish identity in the context of the Popular Front. It will be suggested that the authenticity politics in these Superman stories subordinates ethnic identity to leftist populism under the aegis of a loosely Marxist conception of history. |
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| ISSN: | 1703-289X |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religion and popular culture
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3138/jrpc.29.2.4076 |