Worldling, Stranger, Citizen: Cosmopolitanism and Migration in Early Modern England, Natalya Din-Kariuki, University of Warwick
Early modern writers drew on the language and ideas of cosmopolitanism to engage with some of the most pressing issues of their time: about one’s duties to other human beings, including strangers; about constructions of cultural, racial, and national identity; and about the relationship between individuals and communities. This paper considers the relationship of early modern cosmopolitan thinking to conceptions and practices of migration. Focussing on religious writing including the preaching of Thomas Adams, I will suggest that these texts use the figure of the “worldling” to engage with contemporary debates about the naturalization of strangers.