Paper short abstract:

The paper explores the development of a specifically Gibraltarian British citizenship over the course of a century. Gibraltarians moved from being Spanish speaking subject to an Imperial Crown though a process of mimesis to becoming 'more British than the British'.

Paper long abstract:

In the beginning of the 20th century Gibraltarians were overwhelmingly Spanish speaking and part of a local society and economy that traversed an international border. By century's end Gibraltarians were increasingly monolingual in English and identified very strongly - even intensely—with British culture and values to the point that it is often claimed, by Gibraltarians themselves, that they are 'more British than the British'. The paper explores this extraordinary transformation in citizenship and sensibility, focusing on the quotidian articulations of citizenship and belonging as well as the ever-changing notions of 'Britishness'.

This paper is based on the ESRC funded Bordering on Britishness project which collected almost 400 interviews and in depth surveys of people on both sides of the Gibraltarian/Spanish border looking at the ways in which identity has changed over time. I look at this instance of 'offshore citizenship' and how it has developed but also raise the question of how Brexit will affect Gibraltarians' notion of citizenship. Despite voting overwhelmingly in favour of remaining in the EU, Gibraltarians lost their EU citizenship on the 31st of January. Perhaps more significantly, if less commented upon, is the effect on Gibraltarians of Britishness and belonging undergoing radical change. What is a Gibraltarian British citizenship when 'Britishness' is transformed and the inclusion of key elements such as Northern Ireland and Scotland is placed in doubt? Finally, the paper explores what a post Brexit Gibraltarian Britishness could look like.