During the French Wars of 1793-1815, thousands of 'foreign' seamen served in the British Royal Navy. The pressures and manpower needs of wartime, combined with the long-standing cosmopolitanism of the maritime and military professions, made the practice of transnational recruitment extremely common. The Navy was not simply an employer in the British maritime labour market, but a nodal point of global mobility. Exposing the inescapable transnational dimensions of a quintessentially national institution, this paper will highlight the instability of national boundaries, and the compromises and contradictions underlying the power of modern states. It will also reflect on the constructedness of the category of 'foreignness' – as defined not only culturally, but also legally.
All welcome- this seminar is free to attend, but booking is required.