What Conclusions Can We Draw from Republican Citizenship in Pondicherry?

The preceding chapters have examined the implementation of republican citizenship in Pondicherry between 1870 and 1914. The study reveals a history of political infighting and struggles over status in relation to caste, class, and inclusive and exclusive visions of citizenship. Because the term ‘citizenship’ denotes political membership of a state, a prime citizenship right is the freedom to participate in the political sphere. While all adult men in French India had electoral rights, they were often bullied to vote for a certain candidate or prevented from exercising their voting rights. Thus, citizenship in Pondicherry was inclusive in that electoral rights were not reserved solely for those with European ancestry. However, it was exclusive in its implementation due to clientelism, corruption, intimidation, and bribery, which sometimes prevented electors from voting freely. It was only for the elites that electoral citizenship in Pondicherry constituted an inclusive bond within the political community. They fully participated in the political process, because they were able to read and write French – a condition to run for elected positions such as councilman – and they were the ones who usually initiated petitions to question matters related to elections, as explained in Chapter 5. In contrast, when the lower strata of society made appeals to the colonial state, these appeals usually revolved around matters that could improve their lot, such enlisting in the colonial army or accessing education, which they hoped would increase their chances for employment in desirable positions within the colonial administration or other professions.