Citizenship and Antisemitism in French Colonial Algeria, 1870–1962

Professor Roberts examines the relationship between antisemitism and the practices of citizenship in a colonial context. She focuses on the experience of Algerian Jews and their evolving identity as citizens as they competed with the other populations in the colony, including newly naturalised non-French settlers and Algerian Muslims, for control over the scarce resources of the colonial state. The author argues that this resulted in antisemitic violence and hotly contested debates over the nature of French identity and rights of citizenship. Tracing the ambiguities and tensions that Algerian Jews faced, the book shows that antisemitism was not coherent or stable but changed in response to influences within Algeria, and from metropolitan France, Europe and the Middle East. Written for a wide audience, this title contributes to several fields including Jewish history, colonial and empire studies, antisemitism within municipal politics, and citizenship, and adds to current debates on transnationalism and globalization. Cover 1 Half-title page 3 Title page 5 Copyright page 6 Contents 7 List of Figures 8 Preface 9 Introduction 13 1 Competing for Rights and Identity: Citizenship and Antisemitism in Fin-de-siècle Algeria 60 2 Watering the Tree of Liberties with Jewish Blood: Max Régis, Néos, and the Explosion of Antisemitism in Algeria, 1898 92 3 Navigating Multiple Identities and Evolving French Patriotism 123 4 The Politics of Status Anxieties and Unequal Rights in Interwar Colonial Algeria: Jewish–Muslim Conflicts and the 1934 Constantine “Pogrom” 155 5 The Popular Front, Algerian Nationalism, and Evolving Institutional Antisemitism, 1935–1940 213 6 Rupture: Vichy, State Antisemitism, and the Crémieux Decree 262 7 Broken Identities: Post–World War II and the Algerian War 309 Conclusion 363 References 369 Index 391 An innovative study of antisemitic violence and hotly contested debates over the nature of French identity and rights of citizenship in French Algeria. This investigation reveals the experience of Algerian Jews and their evolving identity as citizens as they competed for control over the scarce resources of the colonial state. Examines the relationship between antisemitism and the practices of citizenship in a colonial context, focusing on experiences of Algerian Jews Sophie B. Roberts. Includes Bibliographical References.