At tage Danmark som nyt fædreland. Indfødsretsansøgning og medborgerskab i Danmark i begyndelsen af 1890’erne

Resumé

This article examines how naturalisation applicants negotiated the boundary between foreignness and formal citizenship in the process of applying for Danish citizenship in the early 1890s. It argues that applications for naturalisation were not merely records documenting the fulfilment of formal requirements, but arenas where migrants actively negotiated claims to citizenship through self-presentations. Through an analysis of applications for naturalisation, the article shows how applicants emphasised economic self-sufficiency, moral character, local ties, attachment to the country, and linguistic and emotional Danishness to demonstrate their worthiness for formal inclusion. Thee negotiation of citizenship not only unfolded between applicants and the state, but also involved local actors and institutions whose recommendations influenced decisions. The analysis shows that the boundaries of formal inclusion were neither fixed nor purely legal. While factors such as poor relief and length of residence often functioned as grounds for rejection, they also became points of negotiation.
The article thus highlights how former migrants with varying social and economic backgrounds actively participated in negotiating their claims to belonging, while also pointing to the importance of local forms of citizenship in mediating access to formal membership in the Danish state. Thereby the article contributes to a broader understanding of how citizenship boundaries were negotiated in practice.