Elizabeth E. Imber, "Uncertain Empire: Jews, Nationalism, and the Fate of British Imperialism" (Stanford UP, 2025)

Sep 26, 2025

In this discussion, historian Elizabeth Imber dives into her book, exploring the complex roles Jews played within British imperialism from 1917 to 1948. She reveals how Jewish political strategies evolved, highlighted by figures like Chaim Arlosoroff and the Bentwiches, amidst a 'politics of uncertainty.' Imber sheds light on the Zionist movement's connections to anticolonial efforts, particularly in India, and examines the shifting dynamics of identity among Baghdadi Jews. Her insights challenge traditional narratives, offering a nuanced look at Jewish nationalism and imperial legacies.

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ANECDOTE

Sassoon Archive Discovery

Imber found unexpected interwar documents in the Sassoon archive showing Baghdadi Jews in Calcutta argued they were "European" in the electorate.
Those same personal papers revealed deeper ties to Indian elites and tentative support for Indian self-rule.

INSIGHT

Empire Became The Zionist Pivot

The British conquest of Palestine (1917) made the empire central to global Jewish political thinking and possibilities for Zionism.
Jews debated multiple futures of empire, producing a "politics of uncertainty" that shaped strategy across the empire.

INSIGHT

Politics Of Uncertainty Defined

Jews across the empire simultaneously prepared for an enduring British world and for anti-colonial triumphs affecting Palestine.
This simultaneity produced strategies that look contradictory but aimed to manage multiple undetermined outcomes.

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Following the British conquest of Ottoman Palestine, Jews across the British Empire—from Jerusalem to Johannesburg, London to Calcutta—found themselves at the heart of global Jewish political discourse. As these intellectuals, politicians, activists, and communal elites navigated shifting political landscapes, some envisioned Palestine as a British dominion, leveraging imperial power for Jewish state-building, while others fostered ties with anticolonial movements, contemplating independent national aspirations. Uncertain Empire: Jews, Nationalism, and the Fate of British Imperialism (Stanford University Press, 2025)
Context considers this intricate interplay between British imperialism, Zionism, and anticolonial movements from the 1917 British conquest of Palestine to the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948.

Elizabeth Imber highlights diverse and sometimes conflicting visions of Jewish political futures, offering detailed case studies of key figures including Chaim Arlosoroff, Moshe Shertok, Helen Bentwich, Rachel Ezra, and Hermann Kallenbach. She explores a "politics of uncertainty" in which Jews engaged with both imperial stability and the rise of anticolonial mobilization, when many were likewise forced to reconsider Palestine as a viable refuge and political solution. Ultimately, this book provides a nuanced understanding of how the British Empire's fate became central to Zionist and broader Jewish political thought, revealing the complex intersections of empire, state power, and Jewish politics during a time marked by profound urgency and exigency.

Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref

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