Towards a theory of the discordant border

Abstract

Borders are often portrayed in stark terms, perhaps as national‐scale threats, or as sites of suffering, or conversely as hosts to socio‐cultural symbiosis. Yet borders are many things all at once. In this paper, we use the comparative context of the US–Mexico border and the Mexico‐Guatemala border to critique what we call the ‘border as hegemony’, a borderscape constructed through obstructions, punitive policing and reinforcing the limits of state control. Instead, we propose a model of the ‘border as discord’. In our heuristic framework, diverse mobilities are embraced, interests of borderlanders are acknowledged and prioritized, and borders are interpreted not as a security threat but as a resource for change.

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