Globalisation, anti-globalisation and the Jewish 'question'

This article explores the relation between globalisation and images of Jews. Globalisation along neoliberal lines has often had serious impacts on the livelihoods of the poor, particularly in the global South: economic distress must be taken seriously when discussing how 'old' images of the 'economic Jew' emerge within social movements. Resistance to negative economic effects of globalisation takes a number of forms, some advocating a return to more enclosed societies; others, building international links while opposing neoliberalism. However, images of Jews as representing finance capital are recurrent; this is in part because these are rooted in European Jewish history. Although such imagery is not pervasive within anti-globalisation movements, there has been some crossover between Left and Right. There exists a temptation to split off 'bad'/unwanted parts of capitalism; this can only be confronted through the difficult work of analysing globalised capitalist systems.