Jews and American Capitalism

3 units

This course is designed to explore the relationship between Jewish immigrants and American capitalism. Reaching before and beyond their settlement in North America, the economic position of Jews has subjected them to suspicion, restriction, and even persecution. In the United States, freedom of religion was coupled with freedom of the marketplace. As insider/outsiders, American Jews not only played an important role in the development of American capitalism, but they also served as some of the most vocal critics of American capitalism. This course considers follows the development of capitalism from theoretical framework to government policy and beyond, with special attention paid to the relationship between capitalism and cultural production in the United States.