From ´Text´ to ´Performance´. New Aspects of the History of the Jews in Fin de Siècle Vienna

In cultural studies a shift in paradigm leading to a new understanding of culture has been underway for roughly one decade. "Culture as text", widely seen as being of static character, is being replaced by an open, more dynamic concept that may be called "culture as performance". This development has hardly been mirrored in studies on Jewish history and culture so far. The purpose of the project is to employ the new model of culture for developing new perspectives on the history of the Jews in Fin de Siècle Vienna. Thereby, stress will be laid upon some aspects of the history of the Jews that have not sufficiently been dealt with. The central fields of research are the Yiddish theatre around the turn of the twentieth century, the Viennese Jewish museum and the performative style in politics. In addition, topics such as the historical consciousness and the bridging of the gap between Eastern and Western Jews will also be examined. The major goal of the study is to question the dualistic view that contrasts Jews and non-Jews. It will be shown that both of them acted together in shaping Viennese culture and society, that they were bound together by various relations which transgressed ethnic boundaries. Focusing on performance the project will highlight how Jews and non-Jews were acting together in the production of cultural meaning.

In cultural studies a shift in paradigm leading to a new understanding of culture has been underway for roughly one decade. "Culture as text", widely seen as being of static character, is being replaced by an open, more dynamic concept that may be called "culture as performance". This development has hardly been mirrored in studies on Jewish history and culture so far. The purpose of the project is to employ the new model of culture for developing new perspectives on the history of the Jews in Fin de Siècle Vienna. Thereby, stress will be laid upon some aspects of the history of the Jews that have not sufficiently been dealt with. The central fields of research are the Yiddish theatre around the turn of the twentieth century, the Viennese Jewish museum and the performative style in politics. In addition, topics such as the historical consciousness and the bridging of the gap between Eastern and Western Jews will also be examined. The major goal of the study is to question the dualistic view that contrasts Jews and non-Jews. It will be shown that both of them acted together in shaping Viennese culture and society, that they were bound together by various relations which transgressed ethnic boundaries. Focusing on performance the project will highlight how Jews and non-Jews were acting together in the production of cultural meaning.