Borders are everywhere. They define the differences between individuals and the world around them, self-identified groups and their social environment, the spaces separating genders, sexualities, geographical areas, and ethno-cultural communities. Given the ubiquity of borders across time and space, this cluster focuses on problematizing the concept of borders. We bring together researchers from a variety of fields with the shared goals of understanding the borders that shape our world, crossing them to reveal our common humanity, and reaching out to the wider community and their concerns on these issues.
The degree to which borders should be crossed and transcended is a question certain to engender debate. For instance, minority ethno-cultural communities might require strong borders between them and the majority to maintain important cultural traditions and identity. At the same time, crossing borders to the degree that individuals can understand the perspective from the other side can help to shape common goals in an ever shrinking world. Likewise, the context of globalization raises the issue of the extent to which borders are naturally being broken down. The communications revolution and the global economy can serve to increasingly highlight what people across cultural and geographic borders share. On the other hand, power structures throughout are still deeply invested in maintaining the borders that divide individuals and groups, thus making social control much easier. That the extent to which borders are naturally eroding and, if necessary, should be transcended is not intuitively clear only underscores the necessity of creating a sustained interdisciplinary program of research that, not only addresses the issue from an academic point of view, but engages the community in the process.
Although borders are so divergent (cultural, identity, ethnic, spatial, gender, class) they are present across societies and historical contexts. Although they may appear solid, they often remain porous spaces of contestation and negotiation. Given these factors, we can frame the conceptual research on borders around the following organic themes: composition, development, function, and ubiquity. Composition points to the makeup of borders, whether material or mental. In short, what are the elements that constitute a working border? Closely related to composition, is the issue of development. The development of a border focuses on its construction, by discourses, states, social groups, and even socio-cultural or economic forces. How are specific borders constructed and by whom? Moreover, the existence of borders points to how they function on a daily level. Research on the function of borders, thus, focuses on what they mean to those living them. What are the intended and unintended consequences of borders on groups and individuals? Finally, although borders arise, shift, and die over time, they persist as factors shaping our world. This ubiquity requires exploration. How are borders maintained, how do they shift, and why do they persist through changing contexts? These conceptual questions can help to bring together researchers working on very specific borders in order to fulfill the mission of the cluster.
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