Settlers and Expatriates

This edited volume compares British communities formed across the formal and informal empire. Its contributors examine people who settled permanently, moved repeatedly between colonial postings or understood themselves as temporary expatriates, showing that these categories were unstable and could change during a single lifetime.

The chapters explore identity, migration, family life, race, politics and relations with host societies. Rather than treating overseas Britons simply as representatives of London, the collection shows how local interests and institutions could acquire their own momentum. It broadens imperial history by focusing on communities whose social influence often exceeded their formal constitutional position.