National Symbols and National Identity
Currency and Constructing Cosmopolitans in Tunisia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7802186 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Simon Hawkin (0009-0008-9219-7715, Franklin & Marshall College), Simon Hawkins (0000-0002-2180-5305, Franklin & Marshall College, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2010 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 2-3 |
| Pages | 228-254 |
| Publication date | 2010-05-20 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Identities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1070-289X • E-ISSN: 1547-3384 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10702891003734987 |
| OpenAlex | W1994653110 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 14 |
| References cited | 25 |
This article examines the imagery on Tunisian banknotes and its role in constructing a state-sponsored vision of Tunisian national identity. In addition to analyzing the currency itself, the article embeds the symbols used on the money in a social and historical context by looking at other public uses of the historical figures pictured and drawing on ethnographic work conducted in Tunisia. The article suggests that the banknotes must be seen as part of a larger discourse about the nature of Tunisian identity. In particular, this discourse focuses on Tunisia as a cosmopolitan nation that is open to the modern world and posits that this openness is rooted in its history. Although the currency suggests the co-presence of modernity and tradition, tradition is relegated to the rural margins while the urban centers are celebrated as the modern future. Beyond looking at the historical figures represented, the article examines historical absences. Most notably, there are no pre-modern Arab figures on the banknotes, which reflects an ambivalent relationship with an Arab identity. This ambivalence is also reflected in the usages of French and Arabic, which tend to naturalize French in a manner not found in other North African currency
Aesthetics · Ambivalence · Art · Context (archaeology · Currency · Economics · Economy · Identity (music · Modernity · National identity · Openness to experience · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · African history and culture studies · Gender Studies · History · Law · National Identity and Symbolism
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| Unique citing works | 14 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2025 (14) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 14 |