Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>This introduction offers an overview of British and Maghrebi political histories and diplomatic relations, arguing that the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century represented a period of mutual cooperation and interest. Critiquing the limited and Algiers-heavy primary sources typically used in historical studies, it introduces several new and rich bodies of source material, comprising thousands of letters, financial records, and legal documents which have hitherto remained little-examined. It then outlines a new theoretical approach to the lives of English-speaking communities in the Maghreb, intertwining the migratory and mediatory ‘expatriate’ and the biblical-theological ‘exile’ to capture their multifaceted experience and self-understanding.</jats:p>