PUB : Daniel Meier (dir.), Bordering the Middle East, Routledge, 2019

This volume focuses on the influence that borders in the Middle East can have on actors’ iden­tity buil­ding, as well as how local, national, or trans­na­tional actors re/​define borders and boundaries.

The Middle East is facing a poli­tical crisis, revealed by the Arab upri­sings, that is affec­ting states’ borders in a para­doxical way : while local, communal, or tribal dissent tends to contest inter­na­tional borders, states are trying to affirm their control over national terri­tory in buil­ding border fences. Focu­sing on borders in their mate­ria­lity as well as their symbolic dimen­sions – their repre­sen­ta­tions – may help with reap­prai­sing the region’s own history, the local/​national speci­fi­ci­ties, as well as regional/​global constraints affec­ting border­lands and those who cross borders ; be they workers, migrants, or jiha­dists. In this book, six case studies will provide insights on state- commu­nity rela­tion­ships through the lens of border issues in the Levant and the Gulf. The theo­re­tical frame­work provided by the border studies concep­tual tools allows authors to delve into the process of borde­ring, de- borde­ring, and re- borde­ring which is affec­ting the region, raising ques­tions on sove­rei­gnty, autho­rity, and the poli­tical legi­ti­macy of the regimes.

This book was origi­nally publi­shed as a special issue of Geopo­li­tics.