Borderland as a necrospace: identity, ethno-territoriality and narcotrade in Manipur

The origin of militancy in Manipur can be traced back to the secessionist movement in 1964 due to the nation-state’s failure to address the people’s grievances. This study investigates how the construction and reconstruction of ethnic identities, coupled with economic and geopolitical factors, sustain Militancy in a contested borderland like Manipur. By foregrounding the research questions: how have ethnonational movements, state policies, and illicit economic activities transformed Manipur into a necropolitical space, and what alternative frameworks could mitigate this conflict, this study employs a qualitative analysis of historical contestations relating to ethno-territoriality, state policy, and recent incidents of violence in Manipur. This approach will help to triangulate historical analysis, policy review and thematic analysis, thereby addressing three corresponding aspects: origins of ethnonational movements in Manipur, the impact of state actions and the role of non-state actors, and the role of necropolitics and narco-terrorism in exacerbating violence. The paper draws on Achille Mbembe’s concept of necropolitics to understand how sovereignty is enacted through death and violence. It incorporates Adam Moore’s ideas on ethno-territoriality to analyse the contested spaces in NEI. This framework shall help explain that economic and political marginalisation perpetuates cycles of violence and resistance in a contested borderland.