Association for Borderlands Studies

The Association for Borderlands Studies (ABS) is an association of scholars, institutions and experts from various disciplines and regional backgrounds who deal with the subject of “borders.” Initially founded by scholars working on the US-Mexican border, ABS now encompasses people from more than 55 countries worldwide. Membership costs vary depending on career status, region (OECD/Non-OECD), duration of membership and type of publication (online/print version).

The Association for Borderlands Studies is headed by a multi-member executive committee, a board of directors and a secretariat, for which institutions can apply.

Once a year, the members of ABS meet for an annual conference in North America in conjunction with the Western Social Science Association (WSSA). Since 2014, bi-national, cross-border “World Conferences” have taken place every 4 years (2014: Joensuu/Finland and St. Petersburg/Russia; 2018: Vienna/Austria and Budapest/Hungary). There are also regional conferences outside North America at irregular intervals (e.g. 2016 in Luxembourg and the Greater Region).

The ABS awards ABS Best Paper Awards and ABS Lifetime Awards for outstanding articles and scholars in the field of border studies. In addition, the ABS publishes the Journal of Borderlands Studies (peer-reviewed, double-blind) online and in a print version four times a year as well as the biannual newsletter "La Frontera" (English/Spanish).