Logics of Race and Capitalism in the Political Economy of Time: The Case of Military Naturalizations

When the US exchanges citizenship rights for military service it is working within a political economy of time, where time is the medium of exchange. This paper argues that military naturalizations in the US were institutionally hedged with the implementation of temporal boundaries to distinguish when and how non-citizens could acquire citizenship rights. Through an engagement with the literature in race and capitalism, I use two case studies between 1926–1940 to demonstrate how Congress strategically operationalized temporal boundaries to limit and delay non-citizen service members from accessing naturalization. Utilizing Congressional hearings, executive hearings, and policy outcomes, I show how temporal boundaries diminished the bond between citizenship and military service.