Silk Roads and Wool Routes: Contemporary Geographies of Trade Between Lhasa and Kalimpong.

The article focuses on contemporary geographies of trade between Lhasa, China and Kalimpong, India. The article examines the reopening of a trade route that has historically connected Lhasa with Kalimpong. The transnational mobility across border regions is examined and issues related to economic change in Tibet, India, and China are analyzed. A brief history of the trade route is provided. Anecdotes based on ethnographic fieldwork are provided. Also provided is an examination of how two groups, one for and one against the reopening of an additional trade route, both coincide with and fight against state-focused ideas about space.