2025 Statelessness & Citizenship Review 7(2) Analysis of the earthquake’s aftermath reveals that a lack of functioning citizenship is not merely a legal problem, but a lived reality of in situ unbelonging. As we learn from Arendt, Haitians are unable to embody what it means to be a citizen despite possessing legal citizenship: just like tenants without an apartment building, they lack the physical spaces and functional institutions that we rely on in everyday life. Those in Haiti are cut off from many of the core functions of citizenship: a fruitful connection between communities and the state, political and voting rights, security, functional infrastructure and governance that reflects the needs of the population. Without such rights, the Haitian populace is cut off from the benefits of citizenship. Following the loss of democratic voting since 2016, Haitians have lost access to Arendt’s two pre-eminent political rights: the right to vote and to run for office. Without such access, Haiti’s so-called citizenry is unable to see themselves represented in public spaces and have policies that reflect their ideals. Haitians must endure policies that curtail their enjoyment of their environment. Through the exploration of the 2010 earthquake and the loss of voting, I demonstrate how de facto statelessness is experienced in a post-colonial context. I contend that not only do the experiences of those within Haiti meet the characteristics of de facto statelessness, but examining this case study through such a lens provides invaluable theoretical representation. This approach, of examining a particular context for the sake of theoretical application, though rich in depth, may not be generalisable without a similar re-engagement of a case study by other researchers. Further, by situating my analysis in one national context and two events, the full complexity of de facto statelessness as a global phenomenon, as Arendt understood it to be, may be left uncaptured. Further research could explore the long-term consequences of de facto statelessness on individuals and communities, as well as investigate effective strategies for addressing this issue in Haiti and similar contexts. 150