2019 Statelessness & Citizenship Review 1(1) a success, and Sri Lanka has been heralded as a shining example of what it means to end statelessness. 38 However, before any interrogation of citizenship and belonging after statelessness can be pursued, an explanation of the methods used in this study along with an understanding of the Sri Lankan context is in order. C Methods Four plantations were visited for the purpose of this study, two of which were urban (Nanu Oya and Nuwara Eliya) and another two rural (Passara and Dickoya). The urban plantations were within the immediate proximity of an urban centre, while rural plantations were located at least forty-five minutes by transport to the closest urban centre. The decision to visit these four plantations was largely informed by the author’s local research team in Sri Lanka given that the research team had already established working relationships with both plantation management and the communities living on these plantations. Still, the author ensured that two urban and two rural plantations were visited to gauge if or how geography impacts the substance of citizenship. To ensure gender balance, the number of female and male participants was pre-determined. Because plantation populations are relatively homogenous and geographically concentrated, participants were selected at random. 39 Prospective participants were approached by the author and the research assistant during their break time, when randomly encountered while walking through plantation grounds, and in the shared public spaces adjacent to plantation living quarters and asked if they wished to participate in this study. To secure the verbal consent of each participant, each prospective participant was read a consent form prior partaking in this study. As well, each participant was provided a written, Tamil language copy of the questions they were asked. The names the plantations visited have been altered to protect the identity of all who have agreed to partake in this study. In sum, semi-structured interviews, 40 questionnaire surveys 41 and a human rights analysis constitute the research methods used in this study. Semi-structured interviews were chosen to ensure that I adhered to the interview schedule devised, to make certain that the issue of access and entitlement to the four rights (healthcare, education, employment, political participation) that constitute the focus of this study were addressed, and to provide interviewees with the freedom to develop and voice their own thoughts and concerns about such matters. 42 As well, this approach enabled me to tailor questions to the interviewee and provide me with the freedom to move on to other questions if it appeared that the interviewee was uncomfortable with particular subject matter, or when a question 38 39 40 41 42 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Citizenship for All, Focus on Protection (Report, 2004); Sulakshani Perera, ‘Sri Lankan Success Story’ (2007) 147 Refugees Magazine 20; Chetani Priyanga Wijetunga, ‘Feature: Sri Lanka Makes Citizens out of Stateless Tea Pickers’, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (online, 7 October 2004) <http://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2004/10/416564cd4/feature-sri-lanka-makes-citizensstateless-tea-pickers.html>; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Good Practices Paper — Action 1: Resolving Existing Major Situations of Statelessness (Good Practice Paper, 23 February 2015) <http://www.refworld.org/docid/54e75a244.html>. David Simon, ‘Your Questions Answered? Conducting Questionnaire Surveys’ in Vandana Desai and Robert B Potter (eds), Doing Development (Sage 2006) 163, 169. See Appendix A. See Appendix B. Katie Willis, ‘Interviewing’ in Vandana Desai and Robert B Potter (eds), Doing Development (Sage 2006) 144. 12