Towards a theory of the discordant border

Walker, M and Winton, A (2017) 'Towards a theory of the discordant border.' Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, 38 (2). pp. 245-257.

Abstract

Borders are often portrayed in stark terms, perhaps as national-scale threats, or as sites of suffering, or conversely as hosts to socio-cultural symbiosis. Yet borders are many things all at once. In this paper, we use the comparative context of the US–Mexico border and the Mexico-Guatemala border to critique what we call the ‘border as hegemony’, a borderscape constructed through obstructions, punitive policing and reinforcing the limits of state control. Instead, we propose a model of the ‘border as discord’. In our heuristic framework, diverse mobilities are embraced, interests of borderlanders are acknowledged and prioritized, and borders are interpreted not as a security threat but as a resource for change.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	borders, security, Mexico, mobilities, politics of scale
Divisions:	School of Sciences
Date Deposited:	24 Jan 2023 16:41
Last Modified:	24 Jan 2023 16:41
ISSN:	0129-7619
URI / Page ID:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/15117

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