Citizenship through assimilation and citizenship through autonomy: Guadeloupe, 1792-1802
Laurent Dubois
Revista Mexicana del Caribe, vol. V, núm. 10, 2000
This article examines the formation of citizenship in Guadeloupe between 1792 and 1802. It studies the demands for the attainment of rights presented by members of the black community and insurgent slaves in 1790, arguing their judicial rights according to the legal system produced under the French Revolution. Similarly, the article analyses the demands presented in 1797 and 1798 by former slaves and members of black population in their struggles for autonomy in the face of an ever more hostile French government. The article aims to show how these examples, very different but interrelated, emerged in succession at the time of radical and profound social and economic changes in Guadeloupe. This paper offers an interesting perspective on the theme of the development of citizenship in the Caribbean.