Ashkenazi Vernacular Cultures of Latin America
Ashkenazi Vernacular Cultures of Latin America
This research consortium focuses on the underrepresented Ashkenazi cultures of Latin America, with an emphasis on their music and literature, drawing from the vast array of vernacular languages within the Ashkenazi tradition. While scholarship on the region has largely concentrated on Sephardic communities, this project aims to explore the intersection of Ashkenazi cultural expressions with Latin American traditions, particularly through music and literature. The first year will centre on music, investigating the fusion of Ashkenazi musical forms with Latin American genres. In the second year, we will focus on literature, examining how Ashkenazi writers and musicians—coming mainly from languages such as Yiddish, German, and Polish—adapted to Latin American societies through Spanish and Portuguese. The consortium will also explore the influence of Jewish immigrants on literature, shedding light on their contributions to national literary canons. The project will combine scholarly with artistic research to bridge academia and wider audiences.
Funded by
