University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2005 The Great Divide: Citizenship And Statelessness Kristy Belton University of Central Florida Part of the Political Science Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Belton, Kristy, "The Great Divide: Citizenship And Statelessness" (2005). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 531. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/531 THE GREAT DIVIDE: CITIZENSHIP AND STATELESSNESS by KRISTY BELTON B.A. Barry University, 2001 M.A. Middlebury College, 2002 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master Arts in the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2005 © 2005 Kristy Belton ii ABSTRACT This thesis investigates the implications of State control of citizenship upon the individual’s ability to choose membership in a given State polity. It briefly examines how States gained absolute control over the granting, denying and revoking of citizenship and demonstrates how the acquisition of citizenship and statelessness are both State-determined statuses. The repercussions of statelessness at the individual, regional and global levels are presented to demonstrate the severity of being unable to choose a citizenship. Efforts made by States and the international community to prevent and reduce statelessness are examined in order to illustrate the lack of prioritization given to the subject of statelessness, and possible courses of action for States and the United Nations to undertake in order to better address this topic are introduced. The thesis concludes that citizenship is a human right and that States need to consider individual choice concerning citizenship matters. If such choice is not taken into account with regard to State membership, States will be performing a disservice to citizens, the stateless, and the system of States. iii This thesis is dedicated to all those individuals who work tirelessly to make the world a safer and less hostile place for the stateless. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS As always, I must thank my support group of family, friends and teachers that encourages me to realize my goals. I owe special thanks to my husband, Jevon Knowles, who keeps me grounded and shows me that nothing is insurmountable. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................ ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION............................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................. 6 Historical Literature.................................................................................................................... 6 Theoretical Literature.................................................................................................................. 9 Location Literature.................................................................................................................... 13 Domestic Location Literature ............................................................................................... 14 Thick vs. Thin Citizenship................................................................................................ 14 Belonging.......................................................................................................................... 15 International Location Literature .......................................................................................... 16 Globalization..................................................................................................................... 17 Human Rights ................................................................................................................... 18 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 21 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 24 CHAPTER THREE: CITIZENSHIP ACQUISITION ................................................................. 27 Primary Means and Trends in Acquisition ............................................................................... 27 Dual (or Multiple) Citizenship.................................................................................................. 31 State Revocation and Control ................................................................................................... 32 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 33 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 36 CHAPTER FOUR: CONSENT, CONTROL AND CITIZENSHIP ............................................ 37 The Social Contract................................................................................................................... 38 Classical Theorists ................................................................................................................ 38 Criticism of the Social Contract............................................................................................ 41 Lack of Choice.................................................................................................................. 42 Consent ......................................................................................................................... 43 Imbalance in the Citizen-State Relationship..................................................................... 45 State Monopoly............................................................................................................. 45 Masculine Conceptualizations ...................................................................................... 47 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 48 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 51 CHAPTER FIVE: THE ACQUISITION OF STATELESSNESS ............................................... 53 Voluntary versus Involuntary Statelessness.............................................................................. 53 Causes of Involuntary Statelessness ..................................................................................... 54 Birth to a Stateless Person................................................................................................. 54 Birth Not Registered ......................................................................................................... 54 Conflict in Laws................................................................................................................ 55 Denationalization .............................................................................................................. 56 State Dissolution ............................................................................................................... 60 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 61 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 64 CHAPTER SIX: THE REPERCUSSIONS OF STATELESSNESS ........................................... 66 The Individual........................................................................................................................... 66 vi Recognition........................................................................................................................... 67 Work ..................................................................................................................................... 68 Education .............................................................................................................................. 69 Health.................................................................................................................................... 70 Movement ............................................................................................................................. 70 Other ..................................................................................................................................... 71 The Region................................................................................................................................ 71 Sustenance, Shelter and Membership ................................................................................... 72 Disease and Human Trafficking ........................................................................................... 73 Physical Conflict..................................................................................................................