Theorizing Borders

Chris Rumford's 2006 article in the European Journal of Social Theory "Introduction. Theorizing Borders" can be described in 2020, now that a certain amount of time has passed, as a "classic" in Border Studies. In it the author focuses on the changing role of political borders and the changing relations between borders (boundaries) and society.  Globalisation, cosmopolitanism, networked community, growing mobilities and flows are for him evidence that a rethinking of borders should be viewed as meaningful and necessary (p. 155). While Chris Rumford points out the relevance of networks, it becomes clear that sometimes national borders can be "jumped over" more and more easily.  And also when societal transformations and borders are examined, shifts are revealed that interact with a new spatiality of politics, for example among other things, post-9/11. In addition it must be taken into consideration that borders can take on different forms – they are by no means purely linear, as can be seen, for example, with the borderlands concept.  Another factor to reflect on is that our perception of borders changes: on the one hand, in many cases they are easy to cross, while, on other hand, hard borders still exist (p. 156). Against this background debordering and rebordering are in constant interplay, so that the multiple types of border moves into focus (p. 157). The statements made so far are explained through three examples:

• Mobility of borders: Great Britain carries out border controls outside its national territory in Belgium and France, the political objective of controlling illegal immigration leading to changed spatial references (p. 157-158).
• Diffusion of borders throughout societies: Identity controls on the internet or controls in airports and railways stations show that borders are not only found on the external borders, but they are being multiplied within social spaces (p. 158).
• Border regulations: National borders can be read as arrangements designed to manage and regulate population groups. They can also no longer be classified as central to military defence (p. 158-159).

Based on these examples, Chris Rumford concludes that there have been a number of recent shifts and challenges:

• A changed relationship between territory and borders is manifested in the fact that borders are now multiple and dispersed throughout societies. In addition political spaces are changing (e.g. supranational actions), to which research must pay greater attention (p. 160).
• Changed relationships between state and society in the age of globalisation mean different or greater freedoms, linked to a changing state governance (p. 162-163), while it should be noted at the same time that changing boundaries are gaining relevance. The multiplicity of bordering processes is becoming decisive (p. 164).
• Borderwork is no longer the exclusive preserve of the nation state. Borders can be created, shifted, and deconstructed by a range of actors.  The fall of the Berlin wall or guarded and gated communities serve as examples of this (p. 164).

In his summing up the author concludes from this that it is necessary to rethink space beyond national territory, which from the research point of view represents a consequence of the "spatial turn" in the social sciences. In this respect the discussion on borders (boundaries) has been given a boost. The theoretical reflection (theorizing borders) continues to be relevant, and "border thinking" should firmly consist of thinking from borders, not just studying them (p. 166-167).