The social transformation of Iraqi Jewry, 1831-1931

This study is about the social transformation of Iraqi Jewry over the period 1831-1931. It focuses on political, economic, religious and educational changes within the Jewish community, and its resulting evolution from a traditional society dominated by a few wealthy notables to a secular middle class community with modern institutions.Iraqi Jewry thrived in Young Turk Iraq and under the British Mandate, only to decline in independent Iraq. Religious prejudice inherited from the Muslim conception of dhimmi, combined with a newer ideology of cultural nationalism, hampered the Jews' social emancipation.This study concludes that the social decline of Iraqi Jewry was a result of two dynamics, the Muslims and the Jewish community, running forever in opposition to each other, and Iraq was never truly willing to emancipate its Jewry.Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto (Canada), 2003.School code: 0779