Border-Making and its Consequences: A Global Overview

Border Region

Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and North America

Language(s)

Anglais

Type

Note on a scientific paper, a conference paper, etc.

Main Category

Theories – Concepts – Terms

Introduction

The 7th Association for Borderlands World Conference set itself the objective of reviewing all the significant advances made so far in the field of border studies.

Summary

This article draws on the exchanges at the different sessions organised at the 7th Association for Borderlands Studies World Conference. Each session was devoted to the question of borders in a specific part of the globe: Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and North America. The primary aim of these sessions was to develop a shared approach on these different territories. This article summarises the exchanges that took place and assesses the global approach proposed.

Content

The authors offer an introduction to the geographical specificities of the world's borders, within continents and between continents, the innovations and new ideas in the emerging field of border studies and an assessment of the global nature of the approach taken at the conference.

The article details the specificities of the borders in each portion of the globe considered. We therefore discover the perception and dominant status of the borders, a status that often results from the historical situation of their creation, more specific issues relating to recent events (migration, armed conflicts, environmental crisis, etc.) and emerging regional or local dynamics and practices.

The articles includes a systematic examination of the epistemological methods, concepts and trends specific to each portion of the globe and a brief account of recent developments: the main and emerging themes and issues, the main scientific fields involved, the new fields of experimentation and the methods used.

With the aim of constructing a global approach in border studies, the article also lists the different ways of exchanging and building a common scientific baseline. Through the different sessions which set themselves this objective, we discover a number of common tools: constructivist-inspired approaches to the development of borders in Europe and elsewhere ("Bordetextures", "agentivity"), reflections on administrative obstacles, anthropological approaches, analysis of the discourse on borders, environmental impacts of borders, study of local and regional dynamics.

The article concludes with an assessment of the organisation of the exchanges held at the conference and puts forwards some ideas for improvements to this type of international meeting based on the experience and opinions of the researchers and scientists involved.

Conclusions

In most parts of the world the status of borders is still heavily marked by the history of their creation, which most often dates from decolonisation. This common point legitimises the adoption of common approaches to thinking and acting in response to the problems raised by border regions.
The emerging field of border studies is developing a cultural approach formulated mainly in Western academic milieux. This approach is therefore to be enriched and tried and tested with new fields of experimentation and new issues. On the other hand, this approach is well adapted to certain issues insofar as it looks at the way borders are practised on a day-to-day basis by the inhabitants of border regions, cross-border workers, migrants, etc.
A wide range of theoretical tools and methods are now accessible to scientists specialised in border studies: constructivist-inspired approaches, anthropological approaches, environmental issues, local and regional focuses.
Among the avenues to be favoured to develop global approaches to border studies, the author highlights the need to build expertise in regional cross-border territories, the importance of personal accounts and observations of locals and the indigenous population, the need to take an interest in little-studied territories and above all to maximise interactive exchanges between researchers at global scientific events.

Key Messages

Borders studies have been, from the outset, a scientific field that is tied to Western cultural studies. Applied to and tested by new territories and new issues, this field will be enriched by new methodologies, concepts and themes. This opening-ip can be achieved via scientific meetings at international level if the emphasis is placed on active sharing of knowledge and experience, if the focus is given to bottom-up-type approaches and if a voice is given to local witnesses.

Lead

Machteld Venken

Author of the entry

Sylvain

MARBEHANT

Contributions

Machteld Venken, Astrid M. Fellner, Adriana Dorfman, Jussi Laine, Daniel Meier, Laurie Trautman, Dhananjay Tripathi et Wolfgang Zeller

Links

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340535262_Border-Making_and_its_Consequences_A_Global_Overview

Keywords

Border studies

global approach