The post-holocaust jew in the age of postcolonialism: La haine revisited

This article expands on previous discussions of La Haine by concentrating specifically on the construction of the image of the Jew within the film’s representation of a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and multi-religious trio. Through this exploration, the article not only raises questions regarding self-representation of ‘the Jew’ in La Haine, but also reflects on the justified ethical questions raised by the beur film-makers who criticized Kassovitz on issues pertaining to ‘authenticity’, the legitimacy of representing ‘other’ communities, and the commercial exploitation of oppressed minorities in and by cinema. By shifting the boundaries of the debate on La Haine from the banlieue genre to the relationship between what I call the ‘post-Holocaust’ French Jew and the postcolonial context that characterizes the condition of contemporary France, this article attempts to offer a different perspective on this highly controversial film.