The political materialities of borders: New theoretical directions (Rethinking Borders)

The political materialities of borders aims to bring questions of materiality to bear specifically on the study of borders. In doing this, the contributors have chosen an approach that does not presume the material aspect of borders but rather explores the ways in which any such materiality comes into being. Through ethnographic and philosophical explorations of the ontology of borders from the perspective of materiality, this volume seeks to throw light on the interaction between the materiality of state borders and the non-material aspects of state-making. This enables, it is shown, a new understanding of borders as productive of the politics of materiality, on which both the state project rests, including in its multifarious forms in the post-nation-state era. -- The Political Materialities of Borders seeks to produce social theory at/from the border; rather than apprehending the border as mere epiphenomenon to urban or state-driven social theoretical dynamics, it calls for a specificity to the border in border studies as a rejuvenated space for theoretical enquiry. -- .