Shifts in French Jewish Citizenship, 1789-1840s

Abstract

The citizenship of Jews became more discussed as a result of changes from the French Revolution of 1789. There were a variety of perspectives between non-Jews and Jews, and between different groups of Jews. The research methodology involves the analysis of qualitative primary sources including government texts and debates, groups of everyday Jews, and French Jewish literature and journal excerpts. The theoretical framework of nationalism will guide how citizenship is analyzed in the research, based on Dean Kostantaras’s book Nationalism and Revolution in Europe, 1763-1848. Results show that the way French Jews fit into or engaged with society is quite nuanced, and the Jewish community (Sephardic, Ashkenazi, etc.) or region (Alsace, Bordeaux, etc.), and Napoleon’s methods, had a large influence on the extent to which Jews wanted or did not want to further integrate with French institutions. While many French Jews’ views on their own citizenship were not found in government texts, their opinions were increasingly portrayed directly in journals, Judaic reform, or indirectly through fictional characters in written works. These findings suggest that researching particular groups or regions of French Jews leads to more varied perspectives, rather than a general review of the group as a whole.