The Society of Prisoners

Description

Very little has been written of the history of prisoners of war before the twentieth century, and Renaud Morieux seeks to correct this in this new history of war captivity in the eighteenth century, mining archives in Britain and France to take a fresh look at international relations through the histories of prisoners and host communities.

• The first study to examine war captivity in the eighteenth century as a total phenomenon, from the perspectives of social, legal, economic, and cultural history
• Offers a radically new way of writing the history of international law through the lens of prisoners of war
• Addresses a range of subjects, including the ethics of war, philanthropy, forced migrations, the sociology of the prison, and the architecture of detention places
• Draws on a large and diverse archive of English and French sources, many previously unexamined

About the Author(s)

Renaud Morieux, Professor of British and European History, University of Cambridge, Pembroke College

Renaud Morieux has been a lecturer in British history at Cambridge since 2011, before which he lectured in modern history at Lille for five years. He is Professor of British and European History at Pembroke College, Cambridge. His career, spanning the Channel, exemplifies his attempts to cross the intellectual and academic borders between France and Britain.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1:Defining the prisoner of war in international law: a comparative approach
2:Hate or love thy enemy? Humanitarian patriotism
3:The multiple geographies of war captivity
4:The anatomy of the war prison
5:The reinvention of Society?
6:War captivity and social interactions
Conclusion
Epilogue: Napoleon the prisoner of peace

Reviews

"The comparison between different "societies of prisoners" could certainly be extended to other spaces and times, further attesting to the rich comparative potential of Morieux's work and the interest it should garner beyond specialists of Franco-British relations." - Guillaume Calafat, Historical Journal

"The Society of Prisoners provides highly insightful passages on the range of prize courts and jurisdictions, the role of private forms of naval warfare, the plurality of authorities that governed captivity, and the manifold forms that captivity could take." - Guillaume Calafat, Professor, University of Paris, Historical Journal

"Interesting and original ... a real transnational history from below." - Margaret Hunt, Historical Journal

"Insightful" - Rachel Weil, Historical Journal

"A magisterial study." - Alan Forrest, Annales Historiques de la Revolution Française [translated]

"Rich and sophisticated ... a vivid social history." - Matthew McCormack, English Historical Review

"At a time when Anglo-French relations are once more under scrutiny, Morieux has produced a fascinating exploration of a complex cross-channel social phenomenon." - Matthew McCormack, The English Historical Review

"The book is valuable for the expansiveness of its scope in framing other, more focused studies and will, one hopes, prompt others in turn." - K.J. Kesselring, Dalhousie University, Canadian Journal of History

"In a work that is both theoretically informed and exhaustively researched, Morieux offers fresh insight into the consequences of war for European society." - Randall McGowen, Professor Emeritus, University of Oregon, Historical Journal