The society of prisoners : Anglo-French wars and incarceration in the eighteenth century / Renaud Morieux.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Morieux, Renaud, author.

Series:

Past & present book series

The past & present book series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Prisoners of war.

Social aspects.

History.

Great Britain--History--George III, 1760-1820.

Great Britain.

Anglo-French War, 1755-1763--Prisoners and prisons.

Anglo-French War, 1755-1763.

Anglo-French War, 1793-1802--Prisoners and prisons.

Anglo-French War, 1793-1802.

Prisoners of war--Great Britain--History--18th century.

Prisoners of war--Social aspects--Great Britain--18th century.

Prisoners of war--France--History--18th century.

Prisoners of war--Social aspects--France--18th century.

Great Britain--History, Military--18th century.

History, Military.

France--History, Military--18th century.

France.

Genre:

History.

Military history.

Physical Description:

viii, 421 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2019.

Summary:

In the eighteenth century, as wars between Britain, France, and their allies raged across the world, hundreds of thousands of people were captured, detained, or exchanged. They were shipped across oceans, marched across continents, or held in an indeterminate limbo. The Society of Prisoners challenges us to rethink the paradoxes of the prisoner of war, defined at once as an enemy and as a fellow human being whose life must be spared. Amidst the emergence of new codifications of international law, the practical distinctions between a prisoner of war, a hostage, a criminal, and a slave were not always clear-cut. Renaud Morieux's vivid and lucid account uses war captivity as a point of departure, investigating how the state transformed itself at war, and how whole societies experienced international conflicts. The detention of foreigners on home soil created the conditions for multifaceted exchanges with the host populations, involving prison guards, priests, pedlars, and philanthropists. Thus, while the imprisonment of enemies signals the extension of Anglo-French rivalry throughout the world, the mass incarceration of foreign soldiers and sailors also illustrates the persistence of non-conflictual relations amidst war. Taking the reader beyond Britain and France, as far as the West Indies and St Helena, this story resonates in our own time, questioning the dividing line between war and peace, and forcing us to confront the untenable situations in which the status of the enemy is left to the whim of the captor.

Contents:

I War Captivity: A 'Fragile' Social Institution p. 2

II What Was a Prisoner of War? The Normative Framework and Its Limitations p. 3

III The State at War p. 10

IV The War Prison p. 20

1 Defining the Prisoner of War in International Law: A Comparative Approach p. 30

II Can 'Civilians' be Prisoners of War? p. 31

III Traitors and Rebels p. 40

IV Private and Public Prisoners p. 54

2 Hate or Love Thy Enemy? Humanitarian Patriotism p. 77

II The Duty to Treat the Enemy with 'Humanity' p. 78

III The 'Inhuman' Treatment of Prisoners of War in Their Own Words p. 88

IV The 1759-60 Philanthropic Campaign p. 99

V The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars p. 115

3 The Multiple Geographies of War Captivity p. 131

II The Caribbean Circulatory Regime p. 133

III Atlantic Crossings p. 147

IV European Mobility p. 160

4 The Anatomy of the War Prison p. 183

II Emergency Buildings (Late Seventeenth Century-American War of Independence) p. 185

III Prisoners of War in 'Reformed Prisons': The British Case p. 197

IV Coexistence or Separation? p. 208

V Violent Buildings p. 220

5 The Reinvention of Society? p. 238

II The Parole Zones p. 240

III The Worth of the Prisoners p. 268

6 War Captivity and Social Interactions p. 284

II A Multi-layered Surveillance System p. 286

III Prison Riots p. 298

IV Crossing the Boundary p. 311

V The Prison as Synapse p. 327.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 379-411) and index.

ISBN:

9780198723585

019872358X

OCLC:

1089998831

Publisher Number:

99983027917