The end of the British World and the redefinition of citizenship in Australia, Canada, and Aotearoa New Zealand, 1950s-1970s (Abstract)

Adopting a political and legal perspective, my talk undertakes a transnational study that examines the demise of Britishness on the conceptualisation of citizenship and the impact that this historic shift has had on other ethnic groups in Australia, Canada, and Aotearoa New Zealand. During the 1950s and 1970s an ethnically based citizenship was transformed into a civic-based one (based on rights and responsibilities). The major context in which this took place was the demise of British race patriotism in Australia, English-speaking Canada, and Aotearoa New Zealand. Although the timing of this shift varied, non-British ethnic groups were now incorporated into ideas of citizenship in all three nations. The overarching question addressed by my talk is: Why and how did the end of the British World lead to the redefinition of citizenship in Australia, Canada, and Aotearoa New Zealand between the 1950s and 1970s in regard to other ethnic groups? It will attempt to answer it by focusing on three transformative pieces of legislation in the three countries: the Australian Citizenship Act of 1973, the Canadian Citizenship Act of 1977, and the Citizenship and Aliens Act of 1977.