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Andy Kaufman, Masked Jewishness, and Ironic Cultural Ventriloquism

Panel: 
Jewish American Literature and Culture: Insider/Outsider
Abstract: 

This paper explores dada Jewish comic Andy Kaufman's cultural ventriloquism, contrasting it with that of earlier Jewish cultural ventriloquists such as Al Jolson, and exploring the very Jewishness of Kaufman’s cultural appropriations and effacing of his Jewishness.

Presenter Information
First Name: 
Craig
Last Name: 
Svonkin
Institution: 
Metropolitan State College of Denver