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International Review of Humanities Studies

International Review of Humanities Studies

Abstract

Attitude to the Nazi past turns to its new phase in the 1980s, after the time of repressing, silent and mourning brings the new discourse in talking about the Holocaust. It was a tendency of "denying" the Holocaust and new anti semitism movement. In the 90s, Jewish authors confirm their position as „self determined agents' in the literary and political area. One of them is Doron Rabinovici, an Austrian Jewish author who wrote the novel Suche Nach M in engaging on the project of constructing a contemporary Jewish identity. In this article, the question of how Robinovici proposes the construction of contemporary Jewish identity will be answered through critical reading on Jewish myth and identity formation theory. The result shows two major strategies that he proposes in his novel: “deconstructs” the Jewish myth (by playing other possibilities to interpret them and unveil the truth) and suggests the self referential concept (find oneself based on 'the self' instead of immersing self in 'the Other‟). These two strategies can be seen as an active engagement with one own traumatic past. It is a historical and self awareness approach to construct a problematic contemporary Jewish identity.

References

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Gelbin, Cathy S. (2008).' Moster returns: Golem figure in the Writings of Benjamin Stein, Erster Dischereit, and Doron Rabinovici', In Hillary Hope Herzog, Todd Herzog, Benjamin Lapp (eds), Rebirth of a Culture: Jewish Identity and Jewish Writing in Germany and Austrian Today. Berghahn Books.

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Gratzke, Michele (2009). Persisting and Changing attitude towards the Nazi past in Germany and Austria. Lecturer Module GM 5068. St. Andrews University. Nirmala, Susan. The Idea Of Othering in J.M Coetzee's "Waiting For The Barbarian." New Academia Vol II Issue IV, Oct, 2013.

Rabinovici, Doron. (1997). Suche nach M. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.

Rabinovici, Doron. (2005). Was unterscheide diese Pizza von all den anderen. In http://www.hagalil.com/archiv/2005/01/rabinovici.htm [Accessed, 5 January 2019].

Sharp, Francis M. (2000). Afterword in the novel „The Search for M," Doron Rabinovici. Francis M Sharp (translator). California: Ariadne Press.

Stratton, Jon (2000). Coming Out Jewish: Constructing Ambivalent Identities. London: Routledge.

Trachtenberg, Joshua (2004). Jewish Magic and Superstition. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania. The Waldheim Affair http://www.demokratiezentrum.org/en/knowledge/stations-a-z/the-waldheim-affair.html) [accessed on 18 December 2018].

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