Belonging in French North Africa: Debating the Citizenship of Tunisian Jews.

At the dawn of the twentieth century, French-educated Jews and Muslims in Tunisia debated the nature of Jews' citizenship as part of a broader conversation on colonial policy. A group of Jews known as La Justice argued that Jews were not Tunisian nationals; rather, they had always been considered foreigners according to Islamic law. The Jeunes tunisiens (Young Tunisians), reform-minded Muslims, countered that Jews in Tunisia were full citizens, equal to Muslims. This episode contradicts much of the narrative about Jews and modernity, especially regarding the nature of emancipation. For some Jews under French colonial rule in Tunisia, being foreign was preferable to being full members of the Tunisian nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]