The revolution of 1919 and subsequent establishment of a liberal democratic monarchy together with incitements of Western Egyptology ushered in a new era in the transition from empire to nation state in Egypt. Beginning 1920, King Fu'ad launched a massive historiographic project, including the creation of the first public archive of Egypt housed in the king's palace. The endeavor of thinking with historyignited also Jewish interest into their own history.

In the Colloquium, I will explore the Jewish-Egyptian historiography of the Société d'Etudes Historiques Juives, founded 1925 in Cairo, through their lectures, articles and publications. The main focus will be the positioning of the official Jewish community vis-à-vis the emerging nation as well as the self-conception of this heterogeneous community under a shared narrative of belonging.