On Borders and Power: A Theoretical Framework

Abstract

This paper raises the question whether it is possible to develop a theory of bordering which will encompass the diverse types of border and boundary experience. I have previously argued that the only way to create a common language between the different disciplinary languages (including geographers, political scientists, anthropologists, sociologists, economists and others) is to create a common set of theoretical constructs and frameworks which can be used as a generalized explanatory model for understanding changing border/boundary phenomenon (Newman 2003). In essence, this paper reiterates a question asked long ago in one of the classic studies of international boundaries, namely how are boundaries (borders) to be redefined in the settings of contemporary time and place (Jones 1959).