SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

Overview

Name:

Ms Robtel Pailey

Email address:

r_pailey@soas.ac.uk

Thesis title:

The Love of Liberty Divided Us Here? Implications of Dual Citizenship on Liberia's Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Processes

Year of Study:

Year of Entry 2011

Internal Supervisors

• Laura Hammond

Biography

Born in Monrovia, Liberia, Robtel Neajai Pailey has worked in and conducted research on three continents. She currently specializes in Migration, Mobility, and Development, as a Mo Ibrahim Foundation Ph.D. Scholar.

PhD Research

In their draft Act to Establish Dual Citizenship for Liberians by Birth and Background, four Senators of Liberia’s National Legislature have proposed amendments to certain sections of the Aliens and Nationality Laws of Liberia to grant dual citizenship to Liberians by birth who have naturalized elsewhere, and to people born outside of Liberia whose parents were Liberian citizens at their birth. Given the heightened tensions that existed between Liberia’s founding settler class and its indigent population in the early 19th century and the contemporary tensions that exist between Liberia’s Diaspora & post-conflict returnees and home-land Liberians, I plan to scrutinize this Act within a historical backdrop bearing in mind its relevance to the entrenchment of good governance and economic growth with development. Members of the Liberian Legislature are currently engaged in discussions with Liberians in-country, and Liberians residing in West Africa, North America and Europe, which have shed light on how both government and the public view dual citizenship.

My study recognizes that dual citizenship is not without governance challenges. Before dual citizenship can be enacted in Liberia, a number of contentious issues much be addressed. A full interrogation of the ‘Negro clause’ in the Constitution—which states that only people of African descent can be citizens of Liberia and own land—must be reconciled given the large population of Lebanese nationals residing in Liberia who could demand citizenship, as could people with mixed Liberian/Lebanese parentage or one Liberian parent; limitations such as a 10-year residency clause for presidential and legislative candidates must be scrutinized; practical concerns such as voting rights for dual-nationals (absentee ballots) would have to be considered; a provision about zero tolerance on corruption for dual nationals would have to be incorporated; and last, but certainly not least, formal government organized national dialogues amongst Liberians inside and outside the country must ensue that take into consideration identity, nationhood, loyalty, national security, economic advancement, cultural continuity and legal precedence.

My overall research will consider to what extent dual citizenship can harness or hinder Liberia’s post-conflict democratic consolidation and governance, peace and security, economic renewal, and social cohesion. The Ph.D. research will be a further development and refinement of my study on the 21st century return migration of Liberia’s Diaspora, and the impact therein on the country’s post-conflict development and reconstruction efforts.

PhD Affiliations

New Narratives-Women Reporting Africa (www.newnarratives.org)
Sea Breeze Journal of Contemporary Liberian Writings (www.liberiaseabreeze.com)
Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellowship (www.alinstitute.org)