Studying Advertisements in pre-1939 Jewish Press: Methods and Challenges
The main pages of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Jewish periodicals are filled with heated discussions concerning major issues which defined Jewish life in various places: nationalism (Jewish and non-Jewish alike), social and economic situation, cultural and ideological choices, religion and secularisation, relations with non-Jews, anti-Semitism, emigration, etc. Sections with advertisements printed in the historical Jewish press offer a close look at everyday Jewish life seen through the prism of consumer culture. They demonstrate how these big themes of Jewish history were translated into the everyday life of Jewish men, women and children. Advertisements offer glimpses into various aspects of the Jewish past: fashion, beauty products, patent medicines, religious books, education, entertainment, and many others. They can be used as a source for studying Jewish economic, social, cultural, religious or even political history. Yet, as source materials, they also present a number of methodological challenges.
This international workshop invites scholars studying advertisements in pre-1939 Jewish press printed in various languages and regions. We expect that each paper presented during the workshop – apart from analysing a specific source material from pre-1939 Jewish press – will also address the methodological aspect of using such source, its advantages, and challenges. Papers can cover topics related, but not limited, to:
· Methodologies and theories in studying advertisements in the historical Jewish press
· Advertisement as a source material for studying Jewish consumer culture
· Advertisements between Jewish and non-Jewish consumer culture
· Advertising strategies in advertisements directed to different audiences
· Language(s) in advertisements in Jewish press
· Advertisements and gender
· Advertisements and politics
· Visual and textual advertisement