Documenting Individual Identity: The Development of State Practices in the Modern World

"Documenting Individual Identity is a distinguished collection that opens up a new area of historical and sociological inquiry. On almost every topic the authors have thought widely and deeply, and they back up their general points with interesting, detailed research."—Theodore Porter, University of California at Los Angeles

"Overall, the essays in this book show the increased rigidity of formal documents and control over the individual, the discrimination between the citizen and the foreigner, and increased categorization of the individual in general. Many of them contain nuggets of stories, descriptions, or analytical observations which make the reading rewarding in unexpected ways."—Elazar Barkan, Claremont Graduate University

Steven Poole - The Guardian

This collection of essays examines the ways in which official agencies have sought to certify the identities of individuals throughout history, from the development of paper bureaucracy in Renaissance Italy and France and the subsequent invention of national citizenship, to the census and the development of police practices including warrants and fingerprinting. Intriguing points abound.