Borders are increasingly viewed through a global lens, considering their interconnectedness and impact beyond nation-states. According to conventional knowledge, the study of borders encompasses not only territorial boundaries but also social, cultural, and virtual borders. Looking through a local lens, borders are seen as sites of interaction and contestation – as both barriers and bridges, separating and connecting people and places. BRIT XVII aims to bring together scholars from all over the world to examine the complexities of borders, both physical and conceptual, and their impact on societies, economies, and politics. It contributes both to academic and policy debates by providing evidence-based analysis and alternative perspectives on border issues. Where do we expect negotiations over borders to lead? Does this mean adaptation with realities on the ground or with adjusted perceptions in our minds?
BRIT XVII highlights the importance of understanding contested borderlands as spaces of negotiation and adaptation in a “place” that meets all the necessary qualities in the best possible ways. Cyprus enjoys a strategic location at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, which has historically contributed to its significance as a cultural and commercial hub in the region. It also remains a divided country. The Republic of Cyprus effectively controls the southern 60% of the island; 34% remains under the control of the Turkish Cypriot administration and 3% of the island is made up of two British ‘Sovereign Base Areas’. Another three per cent constitutes a ‘no-mans-land’, which is an UN-controlled buffer zone separating the conflicting parties. The capital city, Nicosia, is the only divided capital city in the world, and Pyla village in the buffer zone, the only bi-communal settlement existing beyond ethnically homogenised territories in Cyprus.
Non-exclusive list of discussion topics:
- Borders’ response to geopolitical shifts and global crises
- Interfaces and borders in (re-)configuration of “new” territorialities
- Border corrections, territorial adjustments, partitions as conflict management tools
- The role of borders in shaping identities and belonging, cultural hybridity and transnational flows
- The securitization of borders and the implications of border control measures
- Border experiences: migration, displacement, and refugees
- Indigenous perspectives: challenging dominant narratives and highlighting alternative understandings of land and territory
- Environmental borders related to climate change and resource management
- Maritime borders and islands, adaptation to climate change / justice
- The fluidity of borders in the digital age
- Digital borders, including internet censorship and data surveillance
- Borderlands in literature and arts
- Borderland’s epistemology delved into questions of power and inequality, situated knowledge and lived experiences
- Borderland governance models as means of fostering peace and collaboration