Making and Unmaking of State Boundaries: Ethnographic Evidence from a Bangladesh Border Village

Abstract

Drawing on ethnographic data from a Bangladeshi border village of Rajshahi, this article examines how the state creates border as a distinct political territory and how border residents unmake boundaries via their daily activities and transborder mobility. In addition, it examines the perceptions of residents towards the state's government, border force agencies, and administration based on their everyday border experiences. Since this is an anthropological research, narratives were collected via ethnographic interviews, and the lens of narrative was used to analyse the data. This article finds that a state establishes its borders through a combination of strategies, incidents, ideas, fear, panic, and constant monitoring. Border residents, on the other hand, ‘unmake’ the border by crossing it with certain strategies, using particular methods to boost trade and maintain social mobility. People who live near the border have a pessimistic opinion of the government, border policy, and border administration; they perceive that the border is a failed issue. The findings of this research will be beneficial not only as an academic addition to the field of border studies but also as a means for policymakers along the Bangladesh-India border to assess concerns and enhance policy implementation.