Territoriality Belongingness and Citizenship in Indo Myanmar Borderland

Abstract

Expansion of territory, creation of borders often lead to territoriality. Territorialty is a method use to resist the domination over particular territory. It is linked with community identity and their livelihood and land use. Human claims over their space of territory for their own security and attachment or bond they developed with a particular place. In that sense, the identification an individual has with a particular place, with community, customs, culture is known as belongingness. Belongingness is an intimate feeling, in which people can have belonging in different ways and have attachement with different objects. Citizenship has become a fluid, dynamic and contextual concept in contemporary political system. As a concept, it is not only unstable, but it evolves and changes over a period of time. The various amendments in 1986, 2003, and 2005 can be cited as an example. Citizenship is also a highly contested concept. For instance, the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA) signalled a change in the idea of the Indian citizen in the Constitution from the birthright to faith-based citizenship. Though the concept of citizenship changes over a period of time, it is primarily embedded in state formative practices. For instance, legitimising its inhabitants within a fixed territorial boundary is a crucial element of statecraft, which seeks to make the citizens amenable to various government practices. Citizenship as a form of belonging entails inclusion and exclusion . In simple terms, a citizen is a member of the political community with a set of rights and certain obligations. Nevertheless, the nature of the relationship between the individual and the state has become a subject of considerable debate and discussion. For instance, there are different ways in which citizenship is understood and conceptualised. Some perceive citizenship as legal status, which can be objectively defined, while others consider citizenship as an identity, a sense of loyalty or belonging.