Territory and Turmoil

Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan

Meha Dixit, Saranjam Baig

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9781041115724
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781040986059
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Geopolitics
• Index: Social Sciences

This book offers a comprehensive exploration of the intertwined cultural, historical, and geopolitical landscape of Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) – two regions separated by the Line of Control (LoC) yet bound by deep-rooted connections. Moving beyond conventional security and strategic discourse, this volume focusses on humanitarian concerns and the lived experiences of local populations who continue to bear the impact of political instability, militarisation, and border tensions. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the book critically examines key issues including border dynamics, divided families, socio-economic marginalisation, climate vulnerability, and environmental security. It sheds light on emerging protests in Ladakh post-abrogation, political aspirations in GB, and the militarisation of everyday life along contested borders. Grounded in ethnographic fieldwork, legal analysis, and normative frameworks, the chapters amplify voices from within these communities, offering rare insights into the aspirations, anxieties, and resilience of borderland populations. Rich in case studies and real-life narratives, the book bridges academic scholarship with grassroots perspectives, making it both rigorous and accessible. This book is useful to the departments of Border Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Political Science, International Relations, Anthropology, Sociology, and Security Studies. It would be an indispensable resource for policymakers, journalists, and readers interested in South Asia and border conflicts.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Contributors
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan: Between Territory and Turmoil
• 2 Kinship Interrupted: The Human Cost of the Line of Control in Baltistan
• 3 Intergenerational Narratives of War and Separation Among Baltis in Ladakh: Impact on the Younger Generations
• 4 Between Tradition and Transition: Women’s Political Agency in a Changing Ladakh
• 5 Ruling through the Stomach: Politics of Wheat Subsidies in Ishkoman Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
• 6 Territory, Turmoil, and the In-between Space: The Changthang Borderland
• 7 Humanitarian Concerns in Baltistan: Navigating History, Culture, and Current Challenges
• 8 Ladakh at the Crossroads: Autonomy, Climate Vulnerability, and the Politics of Development
• 9 Reframing Humanitarian Liminality in Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan
• Index