Jews have always played an important role in the generation of culture in Latin America, despite their relatively small numbers in the overall population. In the early days of cinema, they served as directors, producers, screenwriters, composers, and broadcasters. As Latin American societies became more religiously open in the later twentieth century, Jewish characters and themes began appearing in Latin American films and eventually achieved full inclusion. Landmark films by Jewish directors in Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil, which are home to the largest and most influential Jewish communities in Latin America, have enjoyed critical and popular acclaim.

Evolving Images is the first volume devoted to Jewish Latin American cinema, with fifteen critical essays by leading scholars from Latin America, the United States, Europe, and Israel. The contributors address transnational and transcultural issues of Jewish life in Latin America, such as assimilation, integration, identity, and other aspects of life in the Diaspora. Their discussions of films with Jewish themes and characters show the rich diversity of Jewish cultures in Latin America, as well as how Jews, both real and fictional, interact among themselves and with other groups, raising the question of how much their ethnicity may be adulterated when adopting a combined identity as Jewish and Latin American. The book closes with a groundbreaking section on the affinities between Jewish themes in Hollywood and Latin American films, as well as a comprehensive filmography.

About the Author

Nora Glickman is a professor of Latin American literature at Queens College and at the Graduate Center, CUNY.

Ariana Huberman is an associate professor of Spanish at Haverford College.

Reviews
[A] superb collection of essays...All too often we find a statement such as 'this is a 'must book' for all those interested in...' In considering Evolving Images it is warranted, for it points to an equally evolving academic enterprise within Latin American-Jewish studies. (Review: Literature and Arts of the Americas) A welcome addition to the English-language literature on Jewish themes in Latin American cinema...highly readable...Glickman and Huberman should be congratulated for putting together a fine collection of essays on the inadequately studied topic of Jewish presence in Latin American cinema. (Jewish Film and New Media) The editors are to be commended for creating a structure that gives insight into specific aspects of Jewish lives and how these are visually depicted in Latin American countries...Evolving Images is essential reading for anyone seeking to gain insight into Jewish filmmaking in Latin American countries. Those studying or wishing to learn more about how Jewish motives and themes are treated in Latin American film and cinema will find this edited anthology highly informative and engaging. Everyone interested in the depiction of religion, heritage and/or cultural identities on film might also be interested in the collection. (Popular Culture Studies Journal)



Book Information
ISBN 9781477314715
Author Nora Glickman
Format Paperback
Page Count 264
Imprint University of Texas Press
Publisher University of Texas Press
Weight(grams) 426g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 20mm