The Uses of Imperial Citizenship: The British and French Empires

Contemporary citizenship is haunted by the ghost of imperialism, and conceptions of European citizenship fail to explain issues that are inclusive of the impact of empire today. The Uses of Imperial Citizenship examines how ideas of citizenship and subjecthood were applied in societies under imperial rule to expand our understanding of these concepts. It explores how claims to the rights and obligations of imperial subjects by otherwise marginalised people shaped the history of British and French concepts of citizenship.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 112 pages
Publication date: 08 March 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Contemporary citizenship is haunted by the ghost of imperialism, with conceptions of European citizenship failing to explain issues that are inclusive of the impact of empire today. The Uses of Imperial Citizenship examines the ways in which ideas of citizenship and subjecthood were applied in societies under imperial rule to expand our understanding of these concepts. Taking examples from the experience of the British and French empires, the book explores how claims to the rights and obligations of imperial subjects by otherwise marginalised people, from women activists to 'native newspaper editors, shaped the history of British and French concepts of citizenship. Through extensive analysis of colonial and diplomatic archives, parliamentary debates and commissions, journalism and contemporary works on colonial administration, the book explores how governments and people in colonial societies saw themselves within, on the frontiers of, and outside of imperial notions of citizenship and subjecthood.

Weight: 200g
Dimension: 218 x 141 x 11 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781783489213