Paper short abstract:

Examining the ritual renewal of the memory of Gibraltar's 1967 sovereignty referendum, this paper examines the National Day celebrations that mark the anniversary of the vote, and how the interplay between celebration, commemoration, and suspicion sustains identity and shapes political futures.

Paper long abstract:

This paper examines an apparent anomaly. Many national days around the globe commemorate the day of independence from the colonial power; Gibraltar’s is distinctive in commemorating a vote to remain a British territory. The annual national day celebrations demonstrate the continued afterlife of the 1967 referendum in which Gibraltarians voted to remain under British sovereignty with self-governing institutions rather than pass under Spanish sovereignty. Through ethnographic and archival research I examine this ritual renewal of the memory of the referendum and its political instrumentality, especially in the wake of another referendum – the vote for Britain to leave the EU – which creates acute political and economic uncertainty in Gibraltar’s future. Exploring the role the referendum and its recollection plays in sustaining an agonistic relationship with Spain, as well as marking a pointed expression of loyalty to Britain, I consider how the interplay between celebration, memory, and suspicion shapes political futures.