The ambivalence of borders: map art through the lens of North-East Indian artists

Anzi, Achia (2021) The ambivalence of borders: map art through the lens of North-East Indian artists. Jindal Global Law Review, 12 (1). pp. 117-137. ISSN 09752498

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Abstract

Borders and maps came under scrutiny in the last few decades. Accentuating the gap between the map and the territory, critical cartography attempts to unmask the assumed scientific objectivity of maps and to reveal their entanglement with power. Postcolonial theory adopts a similar critical approach towards cartography which replaces the earlier attitude of the anticolonial struggles towards maps and borders. This shift is characteristic of postcolonial theories that focus on signifying practices and presuppose that the coloniser’s power lies in the ability to represent colonised histories, customs, cultures, and territories. Ella Shohat and Robert Stam question the deconstructionist tendencies within postcolonial theory and juxtapose them to the discourse of indigenous thinkers who underscore ‘rootedness’ and ‘affirm borders’. In my article, I examine A-PART—Stories of Lands and Lines (23 July–16 August 2019, New Delhi), a group exhibition that explored borders through the perspectives of artists from North-East India. Curated by Pranamita Borgohain and Vikash Nand Kumar of Zero Gravity Collective, the exhibition featured artists whose voices are not always heard within the mainstream of Indian art. While the exhibition questioned, undermined, and challenged borders, it also foregrounded their productive functions. In my article, I underscore and analyse this ambivalent attitude towards borders.

Item Type: Article
Keywords: North-East Indian art | Border | Identity | Map art | Border aesthetics
Subjects: Social Sciences and humanities > Arts and Humanities > Visual Arts and Performing Arts
Social Sciences and humanities > Social Sciences > Sociology
Social Sciences and humanities > Social Sciences > Demography
JGU School/Centre: Jindal School of Liberal Arts & Humanities
Depositing User: Shilpi Rana
Date Deposited: 27 Nov 2021 11:31
Last Modified: 08 Apr 2022 11:24
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41020-021-00142-9
URI: https://pure.jgu.edu.in/id/eprint/82

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