Autorentext

Gustavo Guzmán is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for the Study of Antisemitism of New York University. He is the author of Allende, Pinochet, and the Jews (2026), Attitudes of the Chilean Right Toward Jews (2022) and Latin American Strongmen and the Jews (forthcoming 2027).

Klappentext

Antisemitism and Philosemitism in Latin America, 1891-1991 examines the evolution of attitudes toward Jews across the region over the course of a century. Drawing on the extensive scholarly literature on Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Cuba, and other countries, it argues that Latin American perceptions of Jews were shaped by the interaction of Catholic anti-Judaism, modern European antisemitism, Cold War politics, and changing attitudes toward the State of Israel.

During the early twentieth century, Jews were often portrayed as undesirable immigrants-religiously alien, economically suspect, and politically subversive. Yet the region remained comparatively open to Jewish settlement, allowing Jewish communities to flourish. During the Hitler years, the "Jewish question" became a political litmus test, with leftists generally expressing solidarity with persecuted Jews while many right-wing actors ranged from indifference to hostility. After World War II, however, the Holocaust and the establishment of Israel fostered a broad philosemitic consensus that transformed attitudes across the political spectrum and accelerated Jewish integration. By the 1970s and 1980s, Cold War dynamics reshaped these alignments, as sectors of the Left adopted anti-Zionist positions while many right-wing regimes developed pragmatic and ideological forms of philosemitism.

Combining the history of antisemitism with the often-overlooked history of philosemitism, this book offers a new framework for understanding the Jewish experience in Latin America and the place of the region within global antisemitism studies.

Inhalt

Introduction

Antisemitism in Latin America

Latin American Philosemitism

Theoretical Qualifications

The Jews of Latin America

Book Structure

Chapter 1: Perfidious, Revolutionary, Unwanted Immigrants (1891-1932)

Catholic Anti-Judaism: A Centuries-Old Tradition

Modern Antisemitism: European Fantasies, Latin American Appropriations

Opposing Jewish Immigration: A Nationalist Crusade

Conclusions

Chapter 2: The Hitler Years (1933-1945)

Latin American Far-Right Antisemitism: Imitating Europe

Mainstream Politicians and the Jews: From Right-Wing Hostility to Left-Wing Philosemitism

Intellectuals, Catholic Priests, and Military Officers: A Mosaic of Stances Toward Jews

Conclusions

Chapter 3: A New Era (1946-1972)

Latin American Politics and the Middle East Conflict: From Israel's Founding to the Munich Massacre

A New Goodwill Toward Jews: Intellectuals, Catholic Priests, and Military Officers

The Weakening of Right-Wing Antisemitism: A Regional Pattern with Significant Exceptions

Conclusions

Chapter 4: Shifting Constellations (1973-1991)

The Latin American Left, Israel, and the Jews: From Allende's Fall to Castro's PLO Moment

Attitudes of Southern Cone Dictators Toward Jews and Israel: Unexpected Allies

On the Fringes of the Latin American Right: Obsessing with the Jews

Conclusions

Chapter 5: A New Architecture for the Study of Antisemitism in Latin America

The Scholarship on Antisemitism in Latin America

Tenets For a New Architecture

Epilogue: Buenos Aires, Santiago, Miami