Borders and Border Walls: In-Security, Symbolism, Vulnerabilities

This book explores the recent evolution of borders around the world, focusing on their securitization and control of transnational movements. It examines the enforcement of international borders as lines of demarcation and division, Reinforcing national identities and impacting national and regional dynamics. It also explores the material and immaterial, discursive and concrete expressions of borders and their impacts on daily lives.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 18 September 2020
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The recent surge in the construction of border walls around the world is a significant development that reflects a growing trend towards controlling transnational movements and securing borders. This phenomenon is driven by the need to manage mobility and preserve national identities, which have become increasingly intertwined in the globalized world.

This book goes beyond the traditional understanding of physical borders and explores new manifestations of borders, including technological and symbolic walls. It brings together scholars from diverse academic fields, such as geography, political science, and border studies, to examine the various movements, functions, and articulations of international borders. The book explores two central themes:

Firstly, it examines how international borders have evolved into enforced lines of demarcation and division, reinforcing national identity and shaping national and regional dynamics. It explores the ways in which borders have become tools for controlling migration, regulating trade, and maintaining security, as well as the challenges and complexities associated with their implementation.

Secondly, the book delves into the material and immaterial, discursive and concrete expressions of borders. It explores the ways in which borders are constructed, maintained, and contested through a range of practices, including surveillance, border enforcement, and the use of technology. It also examines the impacts of the transformation of bodies into threats to be monitored and controlled, as daily lives become sites of border enforcement.

By offering multidisciplinary insights into the growing phenomenon of border walls, this book will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students of Border Studies, European Studies, International Relations, Political Geography, and Regional Studies. It provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to understanding the complex dynamics of borders in the contemporary world.

Weight: 488g
Dimension: 162 x 241 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367370626