Jungle Passports

In Jungle Passports, Malini Sur examines the struggles of borderland inhabitants in Northeast India and Bangladesh as they navigate complex issues of citizenship and survival.

Since the nineteenth century, various states have labeled the inhabitants of the borderlands of Northeast India and Bangladesh in a multitude of ways, often viewing them with suspicion. These communities have been categorized as Muslim 'frontier peasants,' 'savage mountaineers,' and Christian 'ethnic minorities,' leading to perceptions of disloyalty and treachery. In Jungle Passports, Malini Sur intricately explores the challenges faced by these individuals as they navigate their lives amidst violence and scarcity, particularly in the context of India's extensive border fencing efforts.

Jungle Passports delves into the complex realities of citizenship and mobility along these fraught borders. Sur highlights how the fragmentation of sovereignty and the imposition of varying regimes of mobility compel undocumented individuals to embark on dangerous journeys across borders that were once unrecognized. By examining the experiences of deportees, refugees, farmers, smugglers, and various officials, she reveals the ways in which kinship, reciprocity, and state violence intertwine to shape the precarious existence of those living on the margins.

This book combines extensive ethnographic and archival research to offer a poignant reflection on life in an era characterized by closed borders and increasing insularity. Jungle Passports serves as a powerful testament to the resilience and struggles of these communities, illuminating the harsh realities of 'illegal migration' and the human cost of border enforcement.