Retisser la frontière: Collage cartographique d’une infime partie de la frontière du Meghalaya (Inde) et du Sylhet (Bangladesh)

Abstract

This article proposes a subjective cartographic collage as a tool for analyzing and conveying the lived experience of the India-Bangladesh border, based on fieldwork conducted in the state of Meghalaya between 2017 and 2022. Far from being a simple line, the border appears as a shifting space shaped by the legacy of Partition, military presence, an unfinished fence, and formal and informal economic flows. The map illustrates the daily dynamics of residents, who navigate around or adapt to the constraints imposed by surveillance and the fence. It makes cross-border interactions visible, notably through the “Border Hat” markets as well as cattle trafficking. The collage combines observations, photographs, interviews, and residents’ mental maps to offer a holistic reading of a fragmented border. The accompanying text explains the methodological choices and field experiences, allowing an understanding of how the fence generates social, economic, and political issues. The map thus becomes a reflexive and analytical tool, documenting the rapid transformations of this space and the stakes it entails both for the border population and the researcher .