Kathleen Commons (she/her)

Supervisors: 

• Anthony Milton (Primary) 
• Michael Bennett (Secondary)

Period:

1500-1800

Thesis abstract:

This thesis will explore the relationship between immigration and developing notions of citizenship in seventeenth-century England through the prism of the law. Despite the rich historiography of 17th-century English citizenship, the alien has not hitherto been placed in this context, even though contemporary thinkers were explicitly dealing with the issue. My thesis will explore the following research questions:

• How were the alien and citizen defined in seventeenth-century England, and how and why did this change over time?
• What was the role of the law in defining the citizen and alien, and to what extent was it accepted and contested?
• What practical steps did cities, parliaments and monarchs take and what rights did they claim to delineate and police the body politic - and what was the perceived value of keeping people outside or bringing them in?
• What links can be recovered between rights theory, and the practice and application of law?