Essay Database

The Theme of “Otherness” in Anti-Semitic Cartoons Through political cartoons circulated in the early twentieth century, anti-Semites tried to persuade people to strongly believe the inferiority of the Jews by depicting them as a social “other”. Perhaps the simplest definition of "otherness" is those human qualities that are different from one’s own qualities and outside the groups to which we belong, yet are present in other individuals and groups. In this context, otherness is …

…Jews, and following World War I Jews were primarily targeted for their “otherness.” When such powerful propaganda is distributed, the victims, in this case the Jewish people, cannot tell their own story and cannot define themselves. Rather, they must submit to the descriptions assigned to them by the dominant group.  So not only are they robbed of their voice, they are also robbed of their identity, their sense of self, and their sense of value.