The conception of the formal political border continues to dominate the discussion of boundaries. In particular the way that international space is depicted on the political map – as a patchwork of flat, uniform spaces delineated by sharp black lines – largely determines more routine understandings of boundary locations and functions. Despite the common acceptance of this imagery, in practice boundaries are complex, fragmentary and far less clear-cut.
Although states continue rigorously to police international borders for reasons of security, taxation, immigration, trade and so on, these borders only represent a small proportion of the boundaries encountered, crossed and negotiated in everyday life. Moreover the various processes associated with globalization, far from eliminating boundaries as some of its earlier theorists anticipated, have ushered in both a proliferation and a transformation of boundaries of all kinds.
This ESRC seminar series addresses these contemporary issues by bringing together academic and practitioner understandings of boundaries to evaluate their impact and wider societal relevance in a rapidly globalizing world. The series consists of five sessions, running from 2009 to 2011 with the following titles:
- Europe Bound? Examining Boundaries and Bordering Processes in the European Union
- Re-imaging Boundaries in Eastern Europe
- Shores in the new international political economy
- Boundaries of the metaverse – the emergence of ‘virtual’ political economies
To register your interest in attending one or more of the seminars please contact one of the seminar organisers listed on the right. Seminar attendance is free of charge and a limited number of funded places are available to cover travel expenses for postgraduate students and early career researchers.