Dialogue of Cultures - Foundation Office India
Event Reports
India has a land border of more than 15,000 km and borders six countries; Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. While much is known and discussed about India's strategic, political and economic relations with these nations, little is known about how the people living in the border regions of India interact socio-economically with the people beyond the border. The workshop aimed to prepare a concept for a study to close this thematic gap by collecting data in close interaction with the border population.
In his introductory words, Dr. Ash Narain Roy, Director of the ISS, explained that in the information age and because of globalization, humanity is coming closer to a borderless world. The border people therefore represent rather connectivity than separation. He also noted that borders are not static but subject to constant change. For humans, the meaning of borders is therefore changing.
Prof. Partha S. Ghosh, Senior Fellow ISS, elaborated on the concept of the workshop. The event was conceived above all as a first brainstorming and was intended to serve as a collection of ideas. The problem with regard to borders and the marginalized population as well as their interaction is to establish a connection between the approaches of anthropology and that of international relations. While anthropology would bring people into focus, international relations would put the state and its foreign policy first. The combination of both approaches is necessary because besides the field research, also data about the state is needed for the study on the interactions of the border populations.
In his welcome remarks, Peter Rimmele, Resident Representative of KAS India, stressed on the importance of knowing the interactions of the border population in order to develop an effective border management system. He described his own experiences and pointed out how quickly borders could change. Considering the German-French border, he described that for decades, both states have faced each other irreconcilably. Nowadays, the border is open and both countries are close partners and friends.
Also Dr. George Matthew, Chairman of the ISS, pointed out his personal experiences and elaborated on the division of British India. He explained that research on the border and its population should take an interdisciplinary approach. Dr. Matthew also emphasized that not only India's external borders are an interesting field of research, but also the inner-Indian borders between the states.
In the five sessions the participants of the workshop discussed a large variety of topics. In addition to theoretical considerations on boundaries and the relationship between the center and its periphery, the border region, and the question of the identity of the border population, the participants also reported about their personal experiences from the border region. Furthermore, they focused on the connectivity of the border region, issues of migration, trade and education as well as the role of women and the securitization of the border region. Overall the workshop regionally focused on the border region of Myanmar in northeastern India and the border region of India-Bangladesh.
The workshop concluded with a ideationsession that reflected on the results of each session and identified further steps for a study on the interactions of the border populations. It became clear that the study had to focus more on specific topics, methods and regions in order to produce usable results. The participants also emphasized that experts from the neighboring countries of India should be included in the research project.
Speaker and chairs of the workshop were Prof. Balveer Arora, Chairman of the Centre for Multilevel Federalism (ISS), Dr. Sanjoy Hazarika, Executive Director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Dr. Sreeradha Datta, Distinguished Fellow of Asian Confluence, Ms. Bano Haralu, Senior Journalist, Dr. Walter Fernandes, Senior Fellow of North Eastern Social Research Centre, Dr. Kaustubh Deka, Asst. Professor at Dibrugarh University, Dr. Aditi Bhaduri, Senior Journalist and Author, Dr. Alana Golmei, Director of the Burma Centre, Prof. Amit Prakash, Centre for Law and Governance at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Prof. Anindya Jyoti Majumdar, I.R. Department at Jadavpur University, Ambassador Gautam Mukhopadhyay, former Indian Ambassador to Myanmar, Dr. G. Amarjit Sharma, Assistant Professor of North East India Studies Programme at JNU, Ms. Shiluinla Jamir, Chairperson of the Centre for Research and Documentation and People’s Action, Prof. Arun Kumar, Malcolm S. Adiseshiah Chair Professor at ISS, Dr. K. Yhome, Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, Dr. Nehginpao Kipgen, Assistant Professor and Executive Director of Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Jindal School of International Affairs, and Mr. Philipp Huchel, Programme Officer at KAS.
