European Borderlands

Taylor & Francis

The expectations of European planners for the gradual disappearance of national borders, and the corresponding prognoses of social scientists, have turned out to be over-optimistic. Borders have not disappeared \u2013 not even in a unified and predominantly peaceful Europe \u2013 but rather they have changed, become more varied and, in a certain sense, mobile, taking on an important role in the everyday lives of more people than ever before. Furthermore, it is now widely accepted that borders do not just hinder communication and the formation of relationships, but also channel and prefigure them in a positive way. Presenting a number of studies of everyday life in European borderlands, this book addresses the multifarious and complex ways in which borders function as both barriers and bridges. Focusing on \u2018established\u2019 Western European borderlands \u2013 with the exception of three contrasting cases \u2013 the book attempts a turn from conflict to harmony in the study of bo.