ABSTRACT

When naturalised citizens receive their passport, it is material and symbolic proof of membership in the nation-state, tying the individual to the nation and providing mobility resources. For naturalised Norwegian citizens, their birthplace appears in the passport. What might be the implications of removing this information? In 2016, the Norwegian government replaced birthplace details with ‘birthplace unknown’ in the passports of naturalised citizens from 31 Asian and African countries. Drawing on this case and 41 in-depth interviews with people of different citizenship-statuses, we analyse the role of the passport and birthplace information in it for naturalised citizens’ identity-construction. The procedural change led to an experience of devalued citizenship in practical, emotional, and symbolic ways, by those directly affected and others, showing the precariousness of identity for naturalised citizens. We find that the passport matters for identity-construction, as a symbol of national belonging, and suggests more-than-instrumental approaches to citizenship among immigrant populations.

摘要

当入籍公民收到护照时，它是民族国家成员身份的物质和象征性证明，将个人与国家联系起来并提供流动资源。对于归化的挪威公民，他们的出生地会出现在护照上。删除此信息可能会产生什么影响？2016 年，挪威政府将来自 31 个亚非国家的入籍公民的护照中的出生地详细信息替换为“出生地不明”。结合本案例和41个不同公民身份的深度访谈，我们分析了护照和出生地信息在入籍公民身份建构中的作用。程序变化导致直接受影响的人和其他人以实际的、情感的和象征性的方式体验贬值的公民身份，表明入籍公民的身份不稳定。我们发现护照对于身份建构很重要，作为国家归属感的象征，并建议在移民人口中采取不仅仅是工具性的公民身份方法。