Legitimacy of Communal Institutions in the Early Modern Times: The Ashkenazi Meat Hall of Amsterdam

This article examines the legitimacy of the Ashkenazi leadership via the meat hall in Amsterdam between 1673 and 1815, a central institution in a community marked by internal tensions from its inception. Drawing on archival sources and Suchman’s pragmatic, moral, and cognitive legitimacy (Suchman, “Managing Legitimacy”), it analyses how the meat hall functioned as a welfare mechanism and instrument of social control. The meat hall was faced with issues related to legitimacy from the beginning, evidenced by persistent meat smuggling, complaints about price and quality, and conflicts regarding supervision. This was exacerbated by high meat prices and limited welfare outcomes. The institution endured until the end of the 18th century because no viable alternative existed. When changing perceptions of religion, state, and citizenship rendered the monopoly increasingly unintelligible, it finally collapsed. The case illustrates how communal institutions can persist despite weak legitimacy until their underlying political order dissolves.