An Anatomy of Collective Actions in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh a commonly accepted notion of citizenship endowed with certain minimum basic rights does not exist. Although a generalised concept of citizenship has been formally articulated, i.e. in the constitution, and has the appearance of being all-inclusive, this is more in form than in content and reality. The meanings/concepts of citizenship at the level of peoples lived realities are not easily perceived or conveyed, and citizen’s rights are at best identified as fragmented claims or privileges dependent upon the good intentions of more powerful persons and agencies. Even when claims and privileges are recognized as legitimate, these are perceived as being tied to social status and relative position and are rarely all-inclusive. For example, the poor do not expect to receive the same service as the non-poor from service providers or to be ensured the same degree of protection by law enforcing agencies. Similarly, women do not expect to have the same say in household decision-making as men or to be paid similar wages as men for the same work. There are strong structural constraints that have prevented the translation of the formal concept of citizenship, with certain embodied rights however narrowly conceived, to one that reflects people’s real perspectives and is widely ascribed to. These structures are supported by social norms that have traditionally generated much inequality and have led to a tacit acceptance of considerable social injustice and an absence of a “culture of rights”.