Modern sovereignty and the non-Christian, or Westphalia’s Jewish State

What is it about?

As they were conceiving modern state sovereignty, seventeenth century theorists discussed the Jews and raised the possibility of Jewish sovereignty. Why were the Jews a problem for sovereignty theorists, and what does their discussion of the Jews reveal about the infrastructure of the modern state as well as about the normalcy or exceptionalism of a Jewish state in a world of sovereign states, for better or worse?

Featured Image

Why is it important?

The paper deals with two controversial ideas in contemporary politics - sovereignty and Jewish sovereignty - in tandem, showing these ideas problematize each other . It offers a new perspective from which to critique and think through some of the issues facing states today.