The Moses complex

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Moses has captivated modern thought, particularly in psychoanalysis, where Sigmund Freud found rich material for exploring memory and historiography. This fascination extends to the arts, notably in the 1920s and '30s when composer Arnold Schoenberg created the three-act opera Moses and Aron. Premiering shortly before his exile to the U.S., the opera challenges audiences to discern voices amid a cacophony, mirroring Moses's struggle to hear God's call from the burning bush. In 1974, filmmakers Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet produced an avant-garde adaptation of Schoenberg's work, further probing the dynamics of perception and authority. Ute Holl's analysis in The Moses Complex delves into these significant works within their historical frameworks, examining resistance and the interplay of media, migration, and politics. Since Moses's descent from Sinai with the Ten Commandments, new media and laws have often emerged together. Liberation is portrayed through various cultural forms, with psychoanalysis, music, and cinema illuminating the themes of exodus and exile as processes of force. Holl offers a nuanced political and cultural theory of migration and violence, addressing both artistic interpretations and contemporary issues surrounding the treatment of migrants.