Thinking the Political Workshop: The Politics of Bordering

The demarcation of borders is fundamental to our understanding of politics. Borders not only delineate territory but also shape identities, power relations, and the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion. In the context of Europe, bordering practices determine how the EU perceives itself, its history, and its role in the world. The political community of the EU is envisioned within the boundaries it establishes, including the often-contested borders of its member states.

Simultaneously, our understanding of these bordering practices is undergoing significant transformation. Decolonial studies highlight how the EU’s border policies resonate with longer histories of colonialism and violence. Traditional distinctions between the so-called ‘margins’ and Europe as the imagined center of Western politics are increasingly questioned. Furthermore, the influence of digital technologies on borders is growing, as they increasingly shape and enforce control over the movement of people, goods, and information on a global scale.

From the COVID-19 pandemic—which exposed the borders of both the state and the body politic—to the global impact of the Black Lives Matter movement, transnational environmental activism, and the ongoing war in Gaza, the politics of bordering has emerged as a defining feature of our time. Despite its significance, the concept of borders remains elusive and complex. This workshop invites contributions that critically rethink the concept of borders in light of these and other recent developments in the politics of bordering.

Dr Aleksandra Lewicki (University of Sussex) delivering her paper, ‘Coloniality, race, and Europeanness: Britain’s Borders after Brexit’. A version of this paper is available in International Political Sociology, Volume 18, Issue 3, September 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/ips/olae025