| The Jews and the Nation: Revolution, Emancipation, State Formation, and the Liberal Paradigm in America and France Contributor(s): Jaher, Frederic (Author) |
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ISBN: 069109649X ISBN-13: 9780691096490 Publisher: Princeton University Press OUR PRICE: $98.95 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: December 2002 Annotation: "This is a finely delineated investigation of the dynamics of inclusiveness and differentiation, primarily in America and secondarily in France during the overlapping eras of their respective revolutions. Jaher seeks to regain a grand narrative perspective of American history through a comparison of two variants of nation-building. The fundamental thesis is robust, and the demonstration is arresting. . ."--Seymour Drescher, author of "The Mighty Experiment" and "From Slavery to Freedom" |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Jewish - General - History | Europe - France - History | Modern - 19th Century |
| Dewey: 944.004 |
| LCCN: 2002029339 |
| Physical Information: 1.05" H x 6.4" W x 9.54" (1.34 lbs) 312 pages |
| Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - Jewish - Religious Orientation - Jewish |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: 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. |