Border as Dispositif: Sovereignty, Discipline, and Governmentality at the China-Kazakhstan Border

Using Khorgas as a case study, this article examines the dynamics in China’s borderlands through a dispositif-inspired three-level analytical framework. This article finds that, at the sovereignty level, the state’s control is unevenly distributed across borders, with China assuming more responsibilities due to greater resources; that discipline is enforced through both formal and informal measures, with local officials and private actors such as Camel Teams negotiating state control; and finally that governmentality reflects how local actors adapt to and operate within state-imposed structures, maintaining resilience in grassroots economies. This framework reveals how border spaces are shaped by both top-down regulations and the everyday adaptations of those living and working within them, creating a dynamic balance of power.