ORDERLY FAMILIES FOR THE NEW ECONOMIC ORDER - BELONGING AND CITIZENSHIP IN THE BRITISH-VIRGIN-ISLANDS

The British Virgin Islands became a tax haven shortly after the U.K. e nacted changes to citizenship policy for itself and its colonies. The new citizenship law disaggregated an old citizenship category into sev eral new categories and emphasized legal paternity and descent rather than place of birth. The law encouraged BVIslanders to position themse lves against increasing numbers of immigrants from other Caribbean isl ands by imagining BVIslander identity as an attribute of descent, ther eby naturalizing it. Citizenship law also enabled BVIslander legislato rs to craft tax haven services in the BVI for another new class of for eigners-the British. BVIslanders and immigrants recreate their familie s in order to guarantee the ''stability'' required by this new industr y, while BVIslanders monopolize the few good jobs created and shunt im migrants into menial work.