Abstract

Recently, anti-Semitic acts have proliferated in Western Europe as well as in the United States. Given this disturbing trend, and the increasing prominence of far-right movements in both regions, the history of anti-Semitism and, more specifically, the significant effect of French colonialism on modern and contemporary anti-Semitism, bears studying. Further, the important role played by written media in the construction of stereotype and the perpetuation of racism and discrimination underscores the potential of media in current times, whether digital, social, or literary, to combat anti-Semitism. This article examines the important connections between contemporary anti-Semitism in Western cultures and French colonial anti-Semitism and analyzes the significance of literary media in the development and deconstruction of anti-Semitic myth and stereotype.