“Equal Before the Law”: the Jews of Libya and Citizenship in Italy in the 1950s and 1960s

This article examines the evolution of the legal status of Libyan Jews, former colonial citizens, in Italy during the 1950s and 1960s. Through the case study of Juda Leone Habib, it highlights how legal categories and rhetorical frameworks inherited from the colonial era were repurposed and reinterpreted after the dissolution of the Italian colonial empire. The analysis reveals a significant divergence between the executive and the judiciary regarding the citizenship status of former Libyan colonial citizens residing in Italy after the war. This opposition reflects two radically different conceptions of belonging to the national community, as well as distinct understandings of the implications of the colonial past. It was only through judicial appeals that many former colonial citizens, including Libyan Jews, ultimately secured recognition of their Italian citizenship, despite resistance from political authorities.