Anthropology Research Seminar: Dr Julio Rodríguez Stimson (QUB)

Permanently temporary: Waiting for infrastructure under colonial rule in MontserratAbstract

The Soufrière Hills volcanic ‘crisis’ (1995–2010) transformed the island of Montserrat through intermittent eruptions, mass displacement, the destruction of its capital, and an uneven reconstruction process. Thirty years after the volcano’s awakening, Montserratians are still grappling with its social, political, and economic fallout, alongside a rising cost of living. A fragmented colonial governance structure, UK aid dependence, and limited accountability have normalized a pervasive sense of waiting for a future that does not arrive, infrastructure that remains incomplete, and an inability to move beyond the lived experience of recovering from disaster. By engaging with the concepts of waiting and ‘stuckedness,’ this paper develops the concept of ‘permanent temporariness’ as a form of slow violence stemming from Montserrat’s colonial history. The perceived inability to escape from cycles of recovery is directly linked to the legacies of colonialism and aid dependency.