This article explores how marginalized groups navigated the everyday politics of citizenship in Britain during the Second World War through a case-study of the Sorby Research Institute in Sheffield, a site in which pacifists and conscientious objectors participated in medical experiments as an alternative to military service. Examining the experiences of volunteers who were infested with parasites in a study of infectious disease transmission, this article traces the emergence of ‘somatic citizenship’ at the SRI: a distinctive kind of wartime service that was rooted in the everyday sensations, routines, and practices of the body. Ultimately, this article argues that the somatic labours of medical research offered a way of partially reconciling the conflicting demands of pacifism and national duty, allowing volunteers to reposition themselves as heroic wartime citizens. However, this was not a straightforward path to social rehabilitation, with various political, moral, and hygienic anxieties disrupting the pursuit of community acceptance. While contributing to ongoing work on citizenship, subjectivity, and emotion in wartime Britain, these findings also demonstrate how unconventional sources – in this case, medicalized descriptions of the body – can be redeployed to illuminate the politically saturated nature of everyday life under the conditions of total war.

本文探讨了第二次世界大战期间边缘化群体如何通过英国谢菲尔德索比研究所的案例研究如何驾驭英国的公民政治，和平主义者和出于良心拒服兵役者参与其中，和平主义者和出于良心拒服兵役者参加了医学实验，以替代服兵役。在研究传染病传播的过程中，通过检查被寄生虫感染的志愿者的经历，本文追溯了SRI的“躯体公民身份”的出现：一种独特的战时服务，扎根于日常的感觉，常规和做法的身体。最终，本文认为，医学研究的体力劳动提供了部分调和和平主义与国家义务相矛盾的要求的方式，允许志愿者将自己重新定位为英勇的战时公民。但是，这并不是通往社会康复的直接途径，各种政治，道德和卫生方面的焦虑困扰着人们对社区接纳的追求。这些发现在为战时英国在公民权，主观性和情感方面正在进行的工作做出了贡献的同时，还证明了如何在非常规条件下重新利用非常规资源（在这种情况下，是对身体的医学描述）来阐明日常生活中政治上饱和的本质。全面战争。