Portuguese (Post-)Imperial Migrations: Race, Citizenship, and Labour

Abstract

This article examines the connected histories of (post)colonial migration and labour within the scope of the Portuguese empire and its aftermath. Presenting a long-term analysis, ranging from the abolition of slavery in the first half of the nineteenth century until today’s debates over the Portuguese nationality law, it focuses on the many continuities between the colonial past and the postcolonial present, in particular with respect to citizenship rights and the racialised boundaries of the Portuguese national community. Through its focus on the less well-known case of Portugal, the article highlights the processes of ethno-homogenisation and the related exclusions woven by Western European (post-)imperial nation states, which, until this day, fail to recognise full citizenship rights for millions of racialised people living within Europe’s borders.