Debating the “Jewish Question” in Tunisia: War, Colonialism, and Zionism at a Mediterranean Crossroads, 1914–1920

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2020

Abstract

In Tunisia, the end of World War I and the return of Muslims and European set-tlers from the front brought attacks against local Jews who had been exempt from conscription under French colonial rule. French commentators spoke of a “Jewish question” fueled by Muslim fanaticism and Jewish profiteering, obscuring their own divisive attitudes and policies. Colonial archives and the popular press, however, reveal that this was far from a monolithic sectarian concern. Jews responded to violence with a variety of transnational political visions. I explore how some Jews reaffirmed their loyalty to France, while others highlighted colonial hypocrisies. Others turned to solutions such as US protection or the Zionist movement. This Tunisian story, with its unique colonial arrangement and legal am-biguities, foregrounds an oft-overlooked North African perspective on the global questions of identity, nationalisms, and minority politics at the end of World War I.

Publication Title

Historical Reflections

Volume

46

Issue

3

First Page

31

Last Page

54

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.3167/hrrh.2020.460303

ISSN

03157997

E-ISSN

19392419

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