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The Luftmentsh as an economic metaphor for Jewish poverty: a rhetorical analysis

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  • Vallois, Nicolas
  • Imhoff, Sarah

Abstract

. “Luftmentsh”, literally “air-person”, is a Yiddish word which refers to beggars, petty traders, peddlers and various kinds of paupers. The word appeared for the first time in Yiddish literature in the 1860's and began to be used in political and economic discourse in the 1880's-1890's. This article proposes a rhetorical analysis of the word Luftmentsh, considered as an economic metaphor for Jewish poverty. Our study thus contributes to the existing literature on economic metaphors in the history of economic thought. We also show that the economic character of the Luftmentsh popularized an influential yet ambivalent image of Jewish masculinity at work.

Suggested Citation

  • Vallois, Nicolas & Imhoff, Sarah, 2020. "The Luftmentsh as an economic metaphor for Jewish poverty: a rhetorical analysis," SocArXiv ptxgf, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:ptxgf
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/ptxgf
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    Cited by:

    1. Vallois, Nicolas, 2021. "Non-Proletarianization Theories of the Jewish Worker (1902-1939)," OSF Preprints 796f2, Center for Open Science.

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