Rise of the nation-state

This chapter describes how in tandem with the rise of the nation-state, the nature of banishment and expulsion practices changed. From the 17th century onward, the practice and meaning of banishment gradually changed. With the rise of the nation-state, expulsion of undesirables was no longer a sanction applied to ‘Us’ but rather to ‘the Other’: nation-states refrained from expelling their own citizens, focusing instead on excluding unwanted outsiders. Immigrant deportation legislation expanded, and states increasingly faced the dilemma of how to handle undesirable aliens who could not be deported. This challenge became especially pronounced during World War I, when transportation between the Americas and Europe was severely disrupted and the issue of undesirable but unremovable migrants became ever more visible and politically sensitive.