The fringe people

Published on

Contested Coastlines:
Fisherfolk, nations and borders in South Asia

by Charu Gupta & Mukul Sharma
Routledge India, 2008

Many have explored the dual function of seas as both bridges and barriers. Some notable examples include the Australian National University historian Paul D'Arcy, who has explored this issue in the waters of Oceania, and the Harvard historian Sugata Bose, who has looked at how the spiritual journeys of the Hajj exist beyond state boundaries and have connected pilgrims. Contested Coastlines is likewise an original contribution to the study of maritime politics and the connections among the communities of this region, going one step further by discussing these relationships in terms of local struggles, regional challenges and global tensions. Authors Charu Gupta and Mukul Sharma – Delhi-based historian and journalist, respectively – demonstrate a strain between national interests and a state-centric conceptualisation of the seas, peoples' interest and more mainstream understandings of communities. 'Securitisation' of the region's maritime borders and boundaries regularly crops up as a key issue, and powerful elites often neglect people who belong to these areas in the name of national interest.

Loading content, please wait...
Himal Southasian
www.himalmag.com