“Where Is Bhutan?” The Production of Bhutan's <i>Asymmetrical Inbetweenness</i> in Geopolitics

In this article, I interrogate the exhaustive “inbetweenness” through which Bhutan is understood and located on a map (“inbetween India China”). argue that understanding naturalizes contemporary geopolitics with little depth about how inbetweenness has shifted over centuries, thereby constructing timeless, obscure, remote “naturally” oriented southward. trace construction of Bhutan's asymmetrical nested in larger story formation consolidation imperial British its dissolution, emergence post-colonial as successor state. identify analyze key economic dynamics three phases marked by commercial, production, security interests, was consolidated. Bringing together sources from different disciplines archival work, account also challenges some dominant historical scholarship each phase. conclude emphasizing critical work at intersection geographical/political/historical contingencies important to subalternizing geopolitics, recognizes myriad ways powers have shaped both geopolitical environment well knowledge-making constrained small states.