Borderland Child Heterotopias. A Case Study on the Belgian-German Borderlands

in Journal of Borderlands Studies (2021), 36(2), 159-180

This article investigates the capacities of children to participate actively in their lives in the Belgian-German borderlands in the time period between World War I and World War II. The article ... [more ▼]

This article investigates the capacities of children to participate actively in their lives in the Belgian-German borderlands in the time period between World War I and World War II. The article interprets a body of historical sources that has hitherto been left unexplored – namely, borderland child ego documents – with the help of insights from child studies and border studies. These ego documents unfold as borderland child heterotopias. Borderland child heterotopias include material places and creative linguistic loci established by or for those considered in crisis in relation to the rest of society based on their age within or outside child spaces of modernity. The borderland child heterotopias offer a unique gateway to borderland children’s past imaginations for a better world. [less ▲]

Children, Young People, and Borders: A Multidisciplinary Outlook

in Journal of Borderlands Studies (2021), 36(2),

Book Review: Citizenship Education and Global Migration. Implications for Theory Research, and Teaching, James A. Banks, Washington 2017

in Journal of Borderlands Studies (2019), 35(1), 165166

The Temporary Reintroduction of Border Controls Inside the Schengen Area: Towards a Spatial Perspective

in Journal of Borderlands Studies (2018)

Following the terrorist attacks in Paris (November 2015) and Brussels (March 2016), several EU Member States have decided to re-establish border controls or to build walls inside the Schengen Area ... [more ▼]

Following the terrorist attacks in Paris (November 2015) and Brussels (March 2016), several EU Member States have decided to re-establish border controls or to build walls inside the Schengen Area. Although these decisions are temporary and legally framed by the Schengen code, their extent disrupts the free movement within the Schengen Area, in particular in border areas. While lawyers and economists have analyzed the impacts of this situation, the spatial perspective has remained rather neglected. This exploratory contribution aims to address this gap in the literature by outlining the spatial significance of reintroduced controls for border areas inside the Schengen Area. This contribution firstly undertakes a literature review of the different conceptual tools at hand. These are then compared with a set of exploratory empirical materials. The article focuses more precisely on the Greater Region where France and Germany have reintroduced border controls, thus disrupting in particular daily cross-border flows with Luxembourg and Belgium. The analysis demonstrates that the border acts as a filter, disrupting cross-border flows and cooperation. Also, it sheds some light on the important role played by the ideational perception of the border for practitioners and decision-makers. This contribution concludes by suggesting several paths for a future research agenda. [less ▲]

Informal Economies in European and American Cross-border Regions

in Journal of Borderlands Studies (2015), 30(4), 469-487

Informality is often linked to borderlands in both academic scholarship and political debates. On one hand, border regions are known for the flow of goods, services and labor and, of course, borders ... [more ▼]

Informality is often linked to borderlands in both academic scholarship and political debates. On one hand, border regions are known for the flow of goods, services and labor and, of course, borders represent state attempts to control or regulate these flows. At the same time, scholars of border politics often discuss the weakness of state administrations in border regions where authorities are far from central governments. Despite the clear relevance of informal sectors for borderlands studies, there is a dearth of analysis of this topic in border areas, especially in comparative terms. This article presents a comparative cross-regional study of informality in European (the Eurométropole and Bari, Italy–Durres, Albania) and continental American (San-Diego, USA–Tijuana, Mexico and Cúcuta, Colombia–San Crístobal, Venezuela) cases. It responds to the following research questions: How can we compare informality in cross-border regions? How does informality relate to illegality in these regions? How can regional organizations respond to the social impacts of informality? [less ▲]