Indian Journal of Neighbourhood Studies

“The Indian Journal of Neighbourhood Studies seeks to contribute to the emergence of neighbourhood studies as a distinct field of inquiry.” This does not imply the creation of a rigid disciplinary boundary, but rather the opening of a shared intellectual space where scholars from international relations, political science, history, anthropology, economics, and allied fields can engage with common questions. What constitutes a neighbourhood? How do neighbourhoods evolve over time? In what ways do they mediate between the local and the global? How do power asymmetries, institutional arrangements, and everyday practices shape their dynamics?

Equally important is the question of method. Much of the scholarship on India’s neighbourhood has relied on official archives, policy documents, and elite narratives. While these sources remain indispensable, they need to be complemented by alternative approaches—field-based research, ethnographic engagement, subnational perspectives, and the recovery of marginal voices. Borderlands, in particular, offer a critical vantage point: they are spaces where state authority is negotiated, where identities are fluid, and where the everyday realities of the neighbourhood are most visible.