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Monsters in Germany: Pre-WW II silent film

Monsters in Germany: Pre-WW II silent film. Just how did the Nazi party convince normal Germans that the Jewish population was a threat? A process called “othering” Part of a discipline called Cultural Studies. Cultural Studies.

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Monsters in Germany: Pre-WW II silent film

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  1. Monsters in Germany:Pre-WW II silent film • Just how did the Nazi party convince normal Germans that the Jewish population was a threat? • A process called “othering” • Part of a discipline called Cultural Studies

  2. Cultural Studies • Concerns itself with the meaning and practices of everyday life—the ways people do things and the meanings attached to those things • marriage practices • performances • gatherings • political structure • Draws from the fields of literary theory, anthropology, psychology, sociology, film/video studies to look at specific cultural phenomena • race • social class • gender • identity

  3. Here be Monsters • Othering • A way of defining and securing one’s own identity by stigmatizing another… an other • Different from self • Depict other people as monsters—to isolate, to hate… to kill • Pre-WW II German silent film used exaggerated Jewish characteristics (caricatures) to depict their monsters. • Same process of othering used today.

  4. Here be Monsters Germany pre-WW II • country was devasted • hungry for a leader/strength • looking for structure • WW I ended 1918 • Along came Hitler • Nazi party formed 1920 • “Shake off your Jewish leaders… The Russian government is 9/10 Jewish… Bolshevism is a Jewish swindle.” • Violence ensued – Nazi propaganda offered direction for anger, resentment, need to retaliation. • Nazi propaganda was built on an already strong base of early German film monsters.

  5. Here be MonstersThe Golem1920 Paul Wegener & Carl Boese

  6. Here be MonstersNosferatu1922 F.W. Murnau

  7. Here be Monsters • What we know: monsters are evil, we must kill them • Equation: • Jews are different than we are… • Jews are monsters • I.e., we must kill them • Easy for Hitler • Easy for everyone • Classic way “othering” works • Otherwise, how do people commit this kind of atrocity?

  8. Here be Monsters • Today, othering functions as it always has: to create monsters throughout the world. • Muslims • Arabs • Jews • American • Each group (can) create monsters of the others. • Effect: “we must kill the monster(s)….” • i.e., each culture/country believes it must rid the world of all the monsters = whomever their othering has designated as dangerous.

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