From Alienation to Co-existence and Beyond: Examining the Evolution of the Borderland in Kashmir

ABSTRACT

The article applies Oscar Martinez’s theory of borderland evolution to the case of Kashmir. The India–Pakistan border in Kashmir is a violent and contested South Asian border with implications for the states and the people living along the contested geographical space. The article challenges the premise that the borderland is static in Kashmir. It contends that though it is difficult to predict the course of evolution of the borderland in Kashmir, it is equally imprudent to ignore the evolution of this borderland from being highly rigid to being relatively flexible. Drawing from historical analyses and ethnographic data collected over the last decade, the article makes a case for an engagement with the borderland in Kashmir, and argues that such a reorientation will bring this contested landscape to the center of borderland discourse in South Asia and beyond.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. During one of the surveys in the Kargil region in 2007 after seeking special permission from an authorized senior police official, I visited a border village through which the border snaked until the 1971 war when the whole village came under Indian side. Before entering the village I was asked to show my identity proof and the permission to enter the village to armed security personnel. While returning I was again asked to show my identity proof. This, the accompanying police official informed later, has been done to confirm that I am an Indian citizen and have not infiltrated.