#12884. ‘A Garuda in my Heart, a Tiger in my Stomach’: Brokering an Informal Economic Border Enclave in the Borneo Highlands

2022publication date
Proposal available till 15-12-2021
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Abstract:
This article studies the life histories of two broker figures from the Borneo highlands to explore the changing borderland dynamics of Krayan, an Indonesian region bordering on Malaysia. Rather than a lagging or rebellious periphery, the region can best be understood as a site of experimentation. Krayan’s history is strongly shaped by shifting patterns of infrastructural connectivity and mobile networks. This, I posit, has resulted in an indigenous version of an informal special economic zone which is economically integrated with Malaysia but leverages political clout in Indonesia. The regular cross-border caravan of pick-up trucks has started to receive government attention. The highland elite now seeks to formalise Krayan’s constellation into a special administrative status by showcasing its links to Malaysia, thus leveraging the governmental pride and anxiety vested in the border. Rather than evading the state, I argue that this manoeuvring centres on improving the terms of opting in.
Keywords:
Borderlands and Frontiers; Dayaks; Pluriform Authority; Special Economic Zone; Zone of Licitness

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