2003/06/01 by Fran Markowitz, Sara Helman, Dafna Shir‐Vertesh · 37 citations
Social Sciences · #Aesthetics #Citizenship #Diaspora, migration, transnational identity #Epistemology #Gender studies #Hebrews #Identity (music) #Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies #Judaism #Law #Migration, Refugees, and Integration #Naturalization #Philosophy #Pluralism (philosophy) #Political science #Politics #Racism #Residence #Sociology #Soul #State (computer science) #Theology
paper · doi:10.1525/aa.2003.105.2.302
published in American Anthropologist 105(2), 302-312 (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 2003/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
Based on the experiences of the Black Hebrews in Israel, this article introduces "soul citizenship," an alternate discourse that asserts the right of individuals and groups to match their self–defined identities with existing states. After years of living in the Jewish State as an illegal yet tolerated presence, the African Hebrew Israelite Community (AHIC) gained temporary residence status, or according to the postnational model of membership, de facto citizenship. Nonetheless, having reformulated their claims in terms of Jewish cultural pluralism instead of race, the Black Hebrews continue to demand full Israeli citizenship. Rejecting postnational splits among identity, legal status, and territory, their soulful claims suggest a model of citizenship that opens new space for misplaced peopled) to gain membership in the states that meet their cultural aspirations and nourish their souls. [Keywords: citizenship, Black Hebrews, Israel, diasporas]