Moeders van het vaderland

Samenvatting

By discussing the life of Sara Levi Nathan, a Jewish woman in Italy, this 
article demonstrates the need for a more nuanced historical reflection on the 
Risorgimento.  The process of Italian unification – Risorgimento – called for the 
(re-)establishment of an Italian identity. During the period of nation building,
different groups tried to formulate a national identity; a verbalization of what 
it meant to be a ‘true’ Italian. The narrative of Italian nationalism was religious 
as well as gendered, meaning both were used to strengthen a national identity. 
Race and class were also factors that influenced this narrative, but they are 
not central to this article. If we choose to understand nationalism as having a 
created nature, it becomes relevant to consider how the lives of Jewish women 
potentially complicated these narratives. This will be analysed in concurrence 
with a historical perspective. This includes the closing of the ghettos, the 
importance of national motherhood, and the rise of Giuseppe Mazzini in Italy.