ABSTRACT
The chapter studies the process of bordering through discussing three borders in Northern Myanmar. These include: (1) the border between China and the territories controlled by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) that is currently engaged in armed struggle with the Myanmar Army—constituting the de jure international boundary; (2) the border between the KIO and the Myanmar government controlled territories—currently a frontline of fighting; and (3) Kachin State administrative boundaries relevant for their symbolic meaning in contemporary ethno-national politics and bureaucratic influence. The chapter demonstrates how the enactment, navigation, or circumvention of these borders bespeak more of the wider political developments concerned with ordering the society than the dynamics at the border. It views borders as privileged sites that help theorize crucial socio-political processes and the dynamics of power in Northern Myanmar and more widely.
