Border Images, Border Narratives: The Political Aesthetics of Boundaries and Crossings

Border images, border narratives explores the role of images and narratives in different borderscapes, providing fresh insight into how borders, borderscapes, and migration are imagined and narrated. It argues that narrated and mediated images of borders and borderscapes are central to the political process, contributing to the public negotiation of borders and addressing issues such as the in/visibility of migrants and the formation of alternative borderscapes. The contributions analyze narratives and images in literary texts, political and popular imagery, surveillance data, border art, and documentaries, and provide a comparative range of geographical contexts.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 280 pages
Publication date: 27 June 2023
Publisher: Manchester University Press

This comprehensive interdisciplinary volume delves into the intricate interplay of images and narratives within diverse borderscapes. Compiled by esteemed scholars in the field, Border Images, Border Narratives offers a fresh perspective on how borders, borderscapes, and migration are conceived and narrated in both public and private realms. By presenting novel approaches to the political aesthetics of the border and its complexities, this volume makes a significant contribution to the methodological revitalization of border studies and offers insightful ways to discuss cultural representations of borders and related processes.

Drawing inspiration from the philosophical insights of Jacques Rancière, this timely volume posits that narrated and mediated images of borders and borderscapes hold a vital role in the political process. They facilitate public negotiations of borders and address critical issues such as the visibility of migrants and the emergence of alternative borderscapes. The contributions in this volume examine narratives and images across a wide range of mediums, including literary texts, political and popular imagery, surveillance data, border art, and documentaries. Additionally, they address concerns related to borderland identities, migration, and trauma, employing critical theory, literary studies, social anthropology, media studies, and political geography as lenses of analysis.

The case studies presented in this volume offer a comprehensive comparative analysis of geographical contexts, spanning from Northern Europe and Britain to Mediterranean and Mexican-USA borderlands, as well as Chinese borderlands from various perspectives. By examining these diverse contexts, the book provides a rich tapestry of insights into the multifaceted dynamics of borders and their impact on societies.

Weight: 436g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781526171894