Work · Jean-Paul Sartre
Anti-Semite and Jew
Sartre analyzes antisemitism as a passionate commitment imposing an identity on people treated as objects.
Understanding the text
Written after the war, the influential essay remains limited by its sources and restricted attention to Jewish traditions and experiences.
Key points
- 01
Passion
The antisemite seeks a certainty deliberately resistant to argument.
- 02
Situation
Racism shapes life possibilities without defining its targets' essence.
- 03
Universalism
The abstract democrat can deny particular experiences in the name of formal equality.
How to read it
Read the analysis of persecution alongside Jewish criticisms of Sartre's account of identity.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗