From “sensed” to “complex”: some reflections on borders throughout history

Abstract

The concept and definition of borders has evolved significantly over time. In Europe the twentieth century alone has seen remarkable changes. At the beginning of the century borders represented the clear end of the sovereignty of one state and the beginning of another while the second half of the same century brought revolutionary concepts of state borders. This article aims to contribute towards the conceptual discussion of borders, tracing some of the journey of this concept, from centuries ago when they were perceived as more ”sensed”, to more recent interpretations of ”solid” and “liquid” borders to today's “complex” borders.

Keywords:

• borders
• borderless Europe
• border concept
• liquid modernity

Notes

1 The definition of modernity is highly debated. Some authors point towards the fifteenth (Wiesner-Hanks, 2006), seventeenth (Giddens, 1990) and eighteenth (Blanning, 2000) centuries for “modern Europe”. As such, for the purpose of this article we consider the transition into modernity to be gradual from the fifteenth century on. “Pre-modernity”, therefore is a vague and extensive period previous to the fifteenth century. The twentieth century witnesses the transition into a “new modernity” (Beck, 1992), “liquid modernity” (Bauman, 2000) or generally referred to “post-modernity”.

2 According to Elden (2005): Treaty of Westphalia, 1648, Osnabrück, Article VIII, Clause 1; Münster. Clause 64