Social Relationships and Responsibility: Theme - Borders and Boundaries

This class provides an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the formation, maintenance and endurance of borders and boundaries. It asks: What are borders? What purpose do borders serve? Why do they endure? Since there is no single agreed upon definition of “borders” we explore three main dimensions of borders as symbolic, geopolitical and cultural boundaries. In so doing we analyze their multiple dimensions as territorial entities, legal demarcations, institutions, sites and symbols of power, racial and ethnic boundaries, liminal spaces, and metaphorical constructs. As we gain deeper understanding we will see that borders, no matter what form they may take, are used to separate nations, people, spaces, in such a way that difference is imbued with power. Course readings engage scholars from multiple disciplines including anthropology, geography, history, political science and sociology, with cases studies from around the globe including Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. Foundational readings (available on Canvas) include scholarship by Frederik Barth, Hastings Donnan and Thomas M. Wilson, Roxanne Doty, Michelle Lamont, Joseph Nevins, and Dan Rabinowitz.