Not-so-Freeway: A Relational Approach to Checkpoints and Conflict in Northeast India

Along arterial roads in northeast India, bordering Myanmar, various armed groups and state actors collect ‘taxes’ at checkpoints. These checkpoints are sites of interaction where the power dynamics between armed groups, state officials and civilians are constantly negotiated, embedded in a larger network of social and political relationships. Based on over 100 interviews with armed groups, businesspeople, state actors and truck drivers, this article develops a figurational framework to throw light on the linkages between checkpoints, authorities and civilians in conflict zones. Drawing on Norbert Elias's work, the framework provides a structured yet flexible approach to investigate the interconnectedness of different levels of interdependent relationships — between actors at the checkpoint, along the road, and beyond. The article explores how, together, these figurations at different levels constitute a fluid political order, shaping processes of legitimization and violence. Going beyond providing an understanding of the politics of roads in northeast India, the framework can be used to better investigate power, conflict dynamics and political ordering across conflict zones.