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SUMMARY:Theorising Borders in an Era of Globalization and Securitization  
 - Professor David Newman\, Ben-Gurion University\, Israel
DTSTART:20151125T153000Z
DTEND:20151125T173000Z
UID:TALK62715@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:39422
DESCRIPTION:Ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and we were celebr
 ating the end of borders as barriers. Ten years later\, eight years after 
 the events of 9/11\, and we were bemoaning the return of Walls and Fences 
 in a world which has become caught up with the discourse of securitization
  and the threat which is perceived as emanating from anything and anyone w
 hich crosses the border from the unknown "there" to the more familiar "her
 e". And as we approach the twenty-fifth anniversary\, we find ourselves in
  a world which is rapidly reconstructing fences and borders in response to
  global terror and mass refugee migration. The study of borders during the
  past two decades has witnessed a renaissance on the one hand\, while havi
 ng to negotiate its way between two parallel\, but contrasting\, border di
 scourses – namely the opening of borders brought on by globalization\, a
 nd the closing and re-sealing of borders brought on by securitization. The
  study of borders has focused mainly on individual case studies\, highligh
 ting either the positive experience of crossing borders which have been op
 ened  and the discovery of what lies on the "other" side\, or the hardship
  which is impacted by the construction of new walls and fences\, thus maki
 ng it more difficult to reach across and move beyond the rigidly compartme
 ntalized spaces or territories of the home group. These parallel discourse
 s raise critical questions of power relations. Who determines the nature o
 f the border and who defines the management and control procedures which t
 ake place at the border?  Ethical issues concerning the treatment of peopl
 e attempting to cross the border\, especially those lacking the necessary 
 "crossing" documents contrast greatly with principles of human rights expr
 essed by the same power elites\, at least in their public statements. The 
 relocation of borders away from the territorial edges of the State to loca
 tions in the core of the homeland territory\, notably airport checking pro
 cedures\, demonstrates the importance of power\, rather than location. Eve
 n the demarcation and delimitation of borders – a process which is as mu
 ch social\, cultural and vertical as it is spatial – is determined by th
 e same power elites for whom the opening of borders is convenient for the 
 implementation of economic policies\, and the closing of borders is conven
 ient for securitization\, playing into public discourses which tend to pre
 fer the notion of securitization and safety at home over and beyond all ot
 her discourses of human rights\, global economies and the wider public goo
 d. This paper will attempt to outline the major questions facing both bord
 er scholars and practitioners in the coming decade\, as the parallel narra
 tives will compete with each other for hegemony in the determination of pu
 blic policy. Who will determine the characteristics of our future borders?
  Will they be visible or invisible borders\, and will they create a sense 
 of safety or\, alternately\, a new sense of fear and threat from the "othe
 r"\, due to a new invisibility? What new narratives\, if any\, will emerge
  to contest the existing hegemonic discourse\, and will our world look mor
 e or less compartmentalized as we move into an era in which globalization 
 is taken for granted\, but equally the socially constructed sense of threa
 t has returned to dominate the discourses of homeland security.\n\nProfess
 or David Newman is Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences a
 nd holds the Professorial Chair in Geopolitics at Ben-Gurion University in
  the Negev.  Editor of the journal Geopolitics until 2014\, Prof Newman’
 s research focusses on territorial dimensions of ethnic and national confl
 ict\, and the functions and significances of borders\, with a regional foc
 us on Israel / Palestine and the Middle East.\n
LOCATION:Donald McIntyre Building\, Faculty of Education\, 184 Hills Road\
 , Cambridge. Room GS4
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