Abstract

Most people are familiar with claims concerning entire generations. Whether used to praise the legacy of past generations or to protect posterity, the emphasis on generational aspects is common in the realm of politics. Regardless of their prevalence, generations are rarely studied from a conceptual perspective. This article both demonstrates the need to place more emphasis on generational concepts and proposes a theoretical approach for doing so. By discussing mid-eighteenth-century British petitions, it demonstrates how historical actors operationalized generational concepts (generation, ancestor, forefather, posterity, and descendant) in practice. As a conclusion, the article suggests that their uses are best understood through Michael Saward's notion of representative claim-making.