ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with the contestatory dimensions of irregular citizenship as it is enacted in the form of 'repatriation from below'. It takes a historical perspective on forced repatriations from below and, in doing so, brings to light some of the practices, techniques, and technologies that have enabled the successful repatriation of deportees. The chapter looks at three different historical enactments of petitioning for repatriation – the case of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, an e-petitioning campaign to return a family of Libyan deportees, and the irregular petition of Montreal’s Non-Status Women’s Collective – in order to understand the kind of citizenship that is being performed in each case. The repatriation of the Benhmuda family brings some new insights into the contemporary practices of petitioning as well as the kind of political subjectivities that emerge through the petitioning process.
