Borderland Solidarity: Indigenous Law, Media, and Environmental Activism in Kachinland

Kachinland is an unrecognized state in the borderlands of Myanmar, India, China, and Thailand.Its geography throws into sharp relief the intersecting dynamics of British colonialism, settler colonialism, and protracted war between the Kachin Independence Army and the Myanmar Army.Kachinland's rich natural resources - including jade and hydropower - are coveted by the junta-led Myanmar government and its energy hungry neighbor, China.As resource extraction and land confiscation intensifies, Kachin activists and artists turn to Indigenous law and media to stem the tide of displacement and dispossession. Emily Hong follows a diverse cast of Kachin activists, punk rock musicians, women farmers, and armed group leaders dreaming up new futures for Kachinland.She examines how they draw on the infrastructures of the borderlands - cross-border media tactics, inter-ethnic solidarity, and an expanded sense of the law and political possibility-to sustain activism for the long-haul.With critical aw