Territorialisation, Ambivalence, and Representational Spaces in Gilgit-Baltistan

Abstract

The article unveils the complexities of spatiality in the Kashmir borderland with reference to the problem of spatial conceptualisation of South Asian disputed border zones. It focuses on processes of territorialisation (new meanings of territorial control) in Gilgit-Baltistan, a territory under the control of Pakistan but associated with the Kashmir dispute. Through the examination of the production of space in Gilgit-Baltistan, and by looking at the specific case of the Baltistan division, the article highlights inconsistencies that denote a shift in the sense of belonging by groups in Baltistan. This shift is marked by a condition of ambivalence, due to the territory’s peripheral position and its status as a border zone with a great potential for confrontation. Various groups in Baltistan are challenging the prevailing context with the revival of cultural and symbolic expressions that transcend existing boundaries and thus claim forms of regional belonging beyond current separations.