Paper short abstract:

We will discuss the auto-representation and presentation of the Portuguese-Jewish community in Bayonne, France, at the 17-18th centuries. We will analyze transformations in the terminology used in official and private correspondence to identify this community, and compare with the cases of Salé and Amsterdam.

Paper long abstract:

An intriguing question regarding the Identity construction process of the Western-Sephardic Diaspora deals with the terminology used for its auto-representation and Presentation. Was this group identified, and self-identified, as a Portuguese group or a Jewish group? What were the reasons for periodical transformations in the terminology used for its identification?

In 16th-18th century's correspondence one may find a wide range of definitions for the Western-Sephardim. Earlier definitions involved the country of origin, professional affiliation and linkage to the Christian faith: "new Christian merchants of the Portuguese nation". Later on, the Christian identity was replaced by a Jewish one: "Portuguese of the Hebrew nation". Yet, the term "Portuguese" remained and was used in parallel to the term "Jews", for example, in the cases of Salé, Morocco and Amsterdam, Holland (Tavim, 2011).

The Portuguese-Jewish community in Bayonne, France, offers a challenging test case. Sources from the Late 16th and early 17th centuries identify the community members almost strictly as "Portuguese merchants" while sources from mid 17th century and on to the 18th century, use the terms: "Portuguese" and "Jews", in parallel, or combined: "Jews formerly known as Portuguese merchants".

In this paper, we will analyze the terminology used for the community's presentation and auto-representation at the 17-18th centuries, in the context of the evolution of its identity. Through official and personal correspondence, we will examine periodical transformations in that terminology and discuss their contexts (economy, demography, political and legal situation). Furthermore, we will compare between this case and the cases of the communities in Salé and Amsterdam.