Means of Livelihoods: Informal Trade and State Institutions in Indo-Myanmar Borderland in Moreh

This article attempts to understand the relations between the state and border ethnic tribe traders in Southeast Asia, particularly the Indo-Myanmar border in Moreh, Manipur, and Zokhawthar in Mizoram. As both negotiate in the participation of trade and economic activities, there are challenges experienced by the state in executing its policy, as well as the local tribes in conforming to those policies. It analyzes how borderlands cannot be solely understood within the ambit of national security, rigid administrative, and sovereignty of state structures; such issues transcend the geographical boundaries and transgress transformation within the social, cultural, and economic dimensions. The study is situated based on field evidence of border life realities and how means of livelihoods are shaped by the transformation of state regulations. It was observed that the state and border communities have their own ways of defining border trade; consequently, the border tribes negotiate with state agencies in various ways to sustain their daily means of living.