Citizenship Through Assimilation and Through Autonomy: Guadeloupe, 1792–1802

Resumen

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 for their legal rights according to the system produced under the French Revolution. Similarly, the article analyzes the demands presented in 1797 and 1798 by former slaves and members of the 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 yet interrelated, emerged in succession at a time of radical and profound social and economic changes in Guadeloupe. This paper offers an interesting perspective on the development of citizenship in the Caribbean.