The temptation to abolish borders corresponds to a desire to kill off a myth, but it neglects the fact that the border, with its four functions of translation, regulation, differentiation and relationship, is a living notion in society. The rediscovery by Brazil of its land borders, like the problems that are arising on this question in the States of what used to be Eastern Europe, show that the relationship function can only be exercised in an active, stable and non-conflictual way if the other functions are fulfilled. A border is the measure of pluralism against the dangers of chaos; it serves as much to "express" order as it does disorder.
In “Europe as borderlands” Balibar first outlines the theoretical connections between borders, political spaces, and citizenship. In the second part, Balibar rethinks the notions of (de)territorialization in an attempt of analyzing the “’material constitution’ of Europe [and] the emergence of the ‘European citizen’ as a new historic figure” (p. 202). All topics are united in part three, where Balibar outlines his ideas of the new, cosmopolitcal or transnational citizen and their role in the borderland model of Europe.
