Dynamic borderscapes and creative countermappings in Shubhangi Swarup’s Latitudes of Longing (2018)

Bibliographic Data

ID17824876
AuthorsAnnalena Geisler (corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume21
Publication date2026-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAngles (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2274-2042 • E-ISSN: 2274-2042
PublisherOpenEdition Journals (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.4000/16308
OpenAlexW7154572690
LanguageEN
References cited18

This paper employs the concept of the borderscape to analyse Shubhangi Swarup’s novel Latitudes of Longing (2018) which is set in various border regions of the Indian nation. I argue that the prism of the borderscape enables an analysis of India’s borders as dynamic and complex spaces from which counter-hegemonic cartographies of the nation-state can emerge. Through the multiple and trans-scalar perspectives of the borderscape, these new mappings delink from the modern narrative of “singular and secular time” (Chakrabarty 2000: 16) as well as gendered distributions of space that perpetuate colonial and nationalist power relations. The resulting counter-cartography draws attention to human flows of mobility and the constant natural transformations of the territory by natural forces such as earthquakes. This shifts the attention away from efforts to securitise natural borders and instead exposes their potential for fostering solidarity between nations as well generating more inclusive visions of national belonging

Colonialism · Narrative · Nationalism · Solidarity · Vision · South Asian Studies and Conflicts · South Asian Studies and Diaspora · Spatial and Cultural Studies

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