The Crémieux Decree seen from afar

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Crémieux Decree of 1870, by which Jews in most of Algeria were given French citizenship en masse, has played a central role in the history of Algerian Jews. This is particularly true of the history of citizenship and nationality: because the Crémieux Decree naturalised Jews from Algeria’s three northern départements as full citizens of France, Jews in Algeria disrupted the hierarchy that placed Europeans (citizens) above indigenous Algerians (colonial subjects). However, the story changes considerably when one looks at the history of citizenship and nationality among Algerian Jews and Muslims outside of Algeria. In Tunisia and Morocco, where many people from Algeria migrated, the Crémieux degree had a relatively negligible impact in how Algerian Jews and Muslims were classified and in their relationship to French diplomatic authorities. By looking at the Crémieux decree from afar, it becomes clear that the categories at stake – citizenship, nationality, and subjecthood – were under construction both within and outside of colonial Algeria and the rest of the French Empire.