The value of citizenship in a British Overseas Territory : Formal and substantive British citizenship in Montserrat

Abstract: This thesis takes part in the discussion of the of citizenship and what it means to be a citizen within the social aspects. In 2002, The British Overseas Act conferred British citizenship to Montserratians and other British Overseas Territories Citizens. The scope of the study is to study formal and substantive citizenship for Montserratians as British citizens. The overarching research question is to what extent citizens of Montserrat enjoy formal and substantive citizenship as part of a British Overseas Territory. This is divided into following research questions: 1)     How do the Montserratians perceive the value of their British substantive citizenship and status as British Overseas Territory?2) What views are there on the partnership between the United Kingdom and Montserrat in relation to the British citizenship?  By using Reiter’s (2013) arguments of citizenship as a relational asset and citizenship as a social role, a case study with field studies and qualitative interviews were conducted in Montserrat to explore the issues of citizenship. Results show distinctions between formal access and perception of access to services such as passport, healthcare and education. The results also point to Montserratian not enjoying substantive British citizenship, with tensions in the political system and lack of representation.