Borders and borderlands GEOG 220 – Geopolitics

This week Conceptualising borders and borderlands South Sudan US-Mexico border(s) – Juanita Sundberg

Conceptualising borders and borderlands – Borders is one expressing of ‘Othering’: those on the ‘other side’ – Definitions and typologies

Borders: a form of boundary associated with the rise of modern NATION-STATE and the establishment of an inter-state GEOPOLITICAL order

Borders and state sovereignty Borders define an ‘inside/outside’ distinction Politically bounded space within which a state is (supposedly) sovereign Sovereignty: a claim to final and ultimate authority over a political community => Borders define the outer limits of territorial state sovereignty

From suzerains to sovereigns ‘Buffer Zone’ Territorial entity under dual suzerains weak but relatively autonomous political entity ‘Marks or Marshes’ Territorial entity under one exclusive sovereign militarized borderlands under representative (Marquees) from central ruler

Imperial roots of borders Roman Limes

Imperial boundaries ? ? ? ? ? ? Two governments (green and blue, want to define sovereignty over overseas territories, two of which are already identified and ‘possessed’ (small circles) while others yet ‘to discover and to claim’ (“?”). How would a third party seek to avert conflicts between the two claimants?

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Dividing up the world Treaty of Torsedillas (1494) between Spain and Portugal Read background information, e.g.

Seeing the world ‘geopolitically’ and find the Torsedillas line Cantino world map One of the first world maps on which appear the American continent. Such maps allow for a ‘global’ vision - ’God’s eye’ – facilitating an intellectual and symbolic sense of ownership (seeing via the map, owning through the map) Source:

Other examples: 49 th parallel border between the United States and British North America … set in 1818 to avoid tensions following war of 1812 Boundaries of the Congo Free State established through the Berlin Conference setting rules of European colonization in Africa

Typology of borders TypeCharacteristicsExample AntecedentDelimited prior to settlement or constitution of new political entity 49 th parallel Subsequentdelimited according to existing settlement patterns and differences Upper/Lower Canada Superimposedimposed by an outside political entity (colonial power), often without concern for pre-existing political or broader cultural patterns Many borders in America and Africa Relictno longer in function, but can keep a social significance North/South Vietnam East/West Germany ‘Natural’ or physiographic using distinctive terrain features, such as mountain ranges and rivers France/Spain – Pyrenees mountains

Borders as spaces Borders as territorial boundaries … Borders not simply ‘lines’ (or more precisely vertical plans) but spaces – Narrow: inter-state border areas (borderlands) – Broad: spaces where selective controls are to be found (even away from official ‘borders’)

At home … Check example of borders historical contingencies (see next slide)

Historically contingent borders: Changing borders within Europe note that at most times, there were no simple ‘lines’ where state border functions were enforced Europe g Europe CyAJGFQ&feature=endscreen