The "Wagah Border". The Introduction of Tourism to a Nationalist Ritual at the Indo-Pakistani Border

Along the 2,912 km of the 1949's Indian-Pakistan border, Wagah is one of the two Joint Check Point where people and goods are allowed to cross the border. Every evening, the Indian Border Security Force and the Pakistani Rangers ceremonially close the border gates and pull down the two national...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Civilisations 2008-01, Vol.57
Main Author: Goeury, David
Format: Article
Language:fre
Subjects:
Borders
Music
National Security
Nationalism
Rituals
Tourism
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Along the 2,912 km of the 1949's Indian-Pakistan border, Wagah is one of the two Joint Check Point where people and goods are allowed to cross the border. Every evening, the Indian Border Security Force and the Pakistani Rangers ceremonially close the border gates and pull down the two national flags. Since 2000, the Indian Punjabi tourism office and, later on, the Pakistani administration have decided to promote the ceremony as a touristic destination. They built tiers and the border became the place of an intense nationalist communion. The long prologue before the military show turns into a theatre stage where the crowd contributes to the performance. The description of this more and more organized, collective ritual (music, songs, dances, flags' race) in this specific place allows to rethink the place of the borders in the making of a nation. In fact, if this ritual may somehow look like a confrontation, tourism pacifies it, and may actually transform the event in the first step of a mutual reconciliation and opening process. Adapted from the source document.
ISSN:0009-8140