Statelessness and CitizenshipResearch article
Documents across Generations: Citizenship Claims among Urdu-Speaking Families in Bangladesh
- Sofia Alvarez · Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
- Hana Kovac · University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Zainab Qureshi · Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan
Abstract
Documentary recognition can vary within the same family when registration histories and administrative practices change across generations. This study explores how Urdu-speaking families in Bangladesh assemble documents when seeking services associated with citizenship. Research involved 49 family interviews in three urban settlements, observations at legal-support sessions, and analysis of participant-shared copies of registration correspondence. Case comparison traced links between school records, birth registration, national identification, and proof of residence. Younger adults often held one recognised document while encountering difficulties when another office requested evidence from a parent. Address discrepancies created repeated verification demands, particularly for families who had moved between settlements. Community advisers helped translate these inconsistencies into administrative explanations but could not guarantee acceptance across offices. The findings highlight the cumulative work required to make documentary recognition usable in everyday settings. The study examines reported administrative experiences and does not determine any participant's legal status. Service reform should improve procedures for correcting inconsistent records and avoid treating intergenerational documentary gaps as straightforward evidence of ineligibility.
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Cite this article
Alvarez, S., Kovac, H., & Qureshi, Z. (2026). Documents across Generations: Citizenship Claims among Urdu-Speaking Families in Bangladesh. Journal of Migration and Displacement. https://jmddiu.org/articles/documents-across-generations-citizenship-claims-among-urdu-speaking-families-in--d26738dc
Alvarez, Sofia, et al. “Documents across Generations: Citizenship Claims among Urdu-Speaking Families in Bangladesh.” Journal of Migration and Displacement, 2026, https://jmddiu.org/articles/documents-across-generations-citizenship-claims-among-urdu-speaking-families-in--d26738dc.
Alvarez, Sofia, Hana Kovac, and Zainab Qureshi. “Documents across Generations: Citizenship Claims among Urdu-Speaking Families in Bangladesh.” Journal of Migration and Displacement (2026). https://jmddiu.org/articles/documents-across-generations-citizenship-claims-among-urdu-speaking-families-in--d26738dc.
Alvarez, S., Kovac, H. and Qureshi, Z. (2026) ‘Documents across Generations: Citizenship Claims among Urdu-Speaking Families in Bangladesh’, Journal of Migration and Displacement. Available at: https://jmddiu.org/articles/documents-across-generations-citizenship-claims-among-urdu-speaking-families-in--d26738dc (Accessed: 4 November 2026).
S. Alvarez, H. Kovac, and Z. Qureshi, “Documents across Generations: Citizenship Claims among Urdu-Speaking Families in Bangladesh,” Journal of Migration and Displacement, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://jmddiu.org/articles/documents-across-generations-citizenship-claims-among-urdu-speaking-families-in--d26738dc
Alvarez S, Kovac H, Qureshi Z. Documents across Generations: Citizenship Claims among Urdu-Speaking Families in Bangladesh. Journal of Migration and Displacement [Internet]. 2026 Feb 10 [cited 2026 Nov 4]. Available from: https://jmddiu.org/articles/documents-across-generations-citizenship-claims-among-urdu-speaking-families-in--d26738dc
@article{alvarez2026documents,
author = {Alvarez, Sofia and Kovac, Hana and Qureshi, Zainab},
title = {{Documents across Generations: Citizenship Claims among Urdu-Speaking Families in Bangladesh}},
journal = {Journal of Migration and Displacement},
year = {2026},
month = {feb},
publisher = {Dhaka International University},
url = {https://jmddiu.org/articles/documents-across-generations-citizenship-claims-among-urdu-speaking-families-in--d26738dc},
keywords = {citizenship documentation, Urdu-speaking communities, intergenerational inequality, administrative recognition, Bangladesh},
abstract = {Documentary recognition can vary within the same family when registration histories and administrative practices change across generations. This study explores how Urdu-speaking families in Bangladesh assemble documents when seeking services associated with citizenship. Research involved 49 family interviews in three urban settlements, observations at legal-support sessions, and analysis of participant-shared copies of registration correspondence. Case comparison traced links between school records, birth registration, national identification, and proof of residence. Younger adults often held one recognised document while encountering difficulties when another office requested evidence from a parent. Address discrepancies created repeated verification demands, particularly for families who had moved between settlements. Community advisers helped translate these inconsistencies into administrative explanations but could not guarantee acceptance across offices. The findings highlight the cumulative work required to make documentary recognition usable in everyday settings. The study examines reported administrative experiences and does not determine any participant's legal status. Service reform should improve procedures for correcting inconsistent records and avoid treating intergenerational documentary gaps as straightforward evidence of ineligibility.}
}TY - JOUR AU - Alvarez, Sofia AU - Kovac, Hana AU - Qureshi, Zainab TI - Documents across Generations: Citizenship Claims among Urdu-Speaking Families in Bangladesh JO - Journal of Migration and Displacement PY - 2026 DA - 2026/02/10 PB - Dhaka International University UR - https://jmddiu.org/articles/documents-across-generations-citizenship-claims-among-urdu-speaking-families-in--d26738dc KW - citizenship documentation KW - Urdu-speaking communities KW - intergenerational inequality KW - administrative recognition KW - Bangladesh AB - Documentary recognition can vary within the same family when registration histories and administrative practices change across generations. This study explores how Urdu-speaking families in Bangladesh assemble documents when seeking services associated with citizenship. Research involved 49 family interviews in three urban settlements, observations at legal-support sessions, and analysis of participant-shared copies of registration correspondence. Case comparison traced links between school records, birth registration, national identification, and proof of residence. Younger adults often held one recognised document while encountering difficulties when another office requested evidence from a parent. Address discrepancies created repeated verification demands, particularly for families who had moved between settlements. Community advisers helped translate these inconsistencies into administrative explanations but could not guarantee acceptance across offices. The findings highlight the cumulative work required to make documentary recognition usable in everyday settings. The study examines reported administrative experiences and does not determine any participant's legal status. Service reform should improve procedures for correcting inconsistent records and avoid treating intergenerational documentary gaps as straightforward evidence of ineligibility. ER -
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