Borders, Sociocultural Encounters and Contestations: Southern African Experiences in Global View

This book explores the enduring significance of borders in Southern Africa, examining encounters between people, ideas, and matter and the new spatialities and transformations they generate. It focuses on local, grassroots, and non-state actors and their cross-border economic and sociocultural encounters and contestations, particularly in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The interdisciplinary chapters address diverse human activities and their relation to regional integration, offering novel ways to understand the persistence and role of borders in the context of new transnational and transcultural phenomena.

Format: Hardback
Length: 150 pages
Publication date: 20 November 2020
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the enduring significance of borders in Southern Africa, exploring the intricate interplay between people, ideas, and materiality, and the profound spatial transformations they engender within historical, social, economic, and cultural contexts. Positioned within ongoing discussions on borders, borderlands, sub- and regional integration, this volume examines the roles of local, grassroots, and non-state actors in their cross-border economic and sociocultural encounters and contestations. It pays particular attention to their significance in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and its integration project, considering the multifaceted dimensions of their involvement.

The interdisciplinary chapters in this book address a wide range of human activities related to cross-border economic and sociocultural encounters and contestations, which are manifested through diverse and multifaceted interactions between grassroots actors. These interactions involve engagements between grassroots actors and the state or its agencies, as well as broader arrangements that have implications for regional integration. By bringing these different forms of interaction into a holistic analysis, the volume offers novel insights into the persistence and role of borders, as well as their relationship to emerging transnational and transcultural integrative phenomena at various levels. This extends from the nation-state and political spheres to the cultural and social dimensions of border practices on a daily basis.

This book is of immense value to scholars and students in the fields of African studies, geography, economics, politics, sociology, and border studies. It provides a rich and nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics and complexities surrounding borders in Southern Africa, offering valuable insights into the region's past, present, and future.

Weight: 400g
Dimension: 160 x 241 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367408466