The Jews and the nation : revolution, emancipation, state formation, and the liberal paradigm in America and France / Frederic Cople Jaher.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jaher, Frederic Cople.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jews--France--History--18th century.

Jews.

Jews--Emancipation--France.

Minorities--Legal status, laws, etc--France--History.

Minorities.

National characteristics, French.

Jews--United States--History--18th century.

Liberalism--United States--History.

Liberalism.

Minorities--Legal status, laws, etc--United States--History.

Multiculturalism.

France--Politics and government--18th century.

France.

France--Social conditions--18th century.

France--Ethnic relations.

France--History--Philosophy.

United States--Politics and government--18th century.

United States.

United States--Social conditions--To 1865.

United States--History--Philosophy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (304 p.)

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book is the first systematic comparison of the civic integration of Jews in the United States and France--specifically, from the two countries' revolutions through the American republic and the Napoleonic era (1775-1815). Frederic Jaher develops a vehicle for a broader and uniquely rich analysis of French and American nation-building and political culture. He returns grand theory to historical scholarship by examining the Jewish encounter with state formation and Jewish acquisition of civic equality from the perspective of the "paradigm of liberal inclusiveness" as formulated by Alexis de Tocqueville and Louis Hartz. Jaher argues that the liberal paradigm worked for American Jews but that France's illiberal impulses hindered its Jewish population in acquiring full civic rights. He also explores the relevance of the Tocqueville-Hartz theory for other marginalized groups, particularly blacks and women in France and America. However, the experience of these groups suggests that the theory has its limits. A central issue of this penetrating study is whether a state with democratic-liberal pretensions (America) can better protect the rights of marginalized enclaves than can a state with authoritarian tendencies (France). The Tocqueville-Hartz thesis has become a major issue in political science, and this book marks the first time it has been tested in a historical study. The Jews and the Nation returns a unifying theory to a discipline fragmented by microtopical scholarship.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

PREFACE

PART I. Introduction

PART II. The Account

PART III. Conclusion

NOTES

INDEX

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 239-284) and index.

ISBN:

9786612157615

9781282157613

1282157612

9781400825264

1400825261

OCLC:

436045866