A Privilege That Cannot Be Bought Jews of Turkey and Citizenship Restitutions from Portugal and Spain

Jews of Turkey have been applying for restitution of citizenship from Spain and Portugal through processes formalized in 2015. Using twenty-nine interviews, this study analyzes applicant motivations and finds that cultural connections play a minor role in applicant decisions. Unlike Sephardic Jews in other contexts, the citizenship application process did not lead to self-questioning of identity. The more important motivators were Jewish fears about the future of Turkey, the practical benefits of easy travel on an EU passport, and the desire for global mobility that allows neoliberal subjects to chase prosperity wherever it may go. While Jewish fears are mostly in the background, the other two motivations were more pressing. This study places these motivations in the context of changing conceptions of citizenship in Europe and the global inequality of citizenship, crystallized in a hierarchy of passports. It finds that after acquiring Iberian citizenship, Jews from Turkey relate to their new citizenships exclusively in practical ways.