Définir ce qu’est être Tunisien. Litiges autour de la nationalité de Nessim Scemama (1873-1881)

Abstract

This essay explores the conflicts that arose around the nationality of Nessim Scemama, a prominent Jewish servant of the Ottoman governors of Tunis, who died in Italy in 1873. Throughout this episode, various historical players among statesmen and among Scemama’s heirs tried to identify Nessim uniquely either as a Tunisian or as an Italian. This case study shows that in the 1870s, on the eve of the establishment of the French protectorate over Tunisia (1881), Tunisian nationality was still a category that had to be shaped. The study raises the question of the concrete definition of nationality as a legal notion within pre-colonial Tunisia. What characterized Tunisianness? Who drew the lines and the features of such a legal affiliation to the Tunisian State and according to what criteria?

Keywords

• nationality
• Tunisia
• Italy
• Jews
• Ottoman reforms
• Consular protection