The Subjective Experience of Citizenship and National Identity: An Introduction

Abstract

On July 11, 1994, Juan Mari Brás, a prominent pro-independence activist and attorney born in Puerto Rico, flew from Puerto Rico to Venezuela, and legally renounced his US citizenship at the United States Embassy in Caracas. He flew back to Puerto Rico, without confronting immigration obstacles, and demanded a certificate of Puerto Rican citizenship from the Puerto Rico Department of State. He also refused to leave Puerto Rico because it was “his nation.” Mari Brás was asserting his national identity as a Puerto Rican by renouncing his US citizenship; he was also making a political statement. For many, Mari Brás’s actions, and those of the few who followed in his footsteps, were absurd and futile. However, where many people saw futility and absurdity, I saw agency, resiliency, national identity assertion, redefinition of citizenship, peaceful rebellion, and an interesting conundrum that needed to be addressed. How do Puerto Ricans requesting this certificate of citizenship issued by a non-sovereign territory experience their citizenship and their national identity?