New UniGR-CBS Working Paper – Towards a New Departure in Border Studies? A Comment on the Increasing Talk of Complexity

The idea of borders as a complex phenomenon is now established in border studies. However, there is still little discussion of what exactly can be considered complex about borders, and there are only a few works that explore complexity thinking and its possible links to border studies.

Rather, border studies are characterized by a diffuse understanding of complexity without much reflection on this qualification. An everyday understanding of complexity that prematurely equates the term with complicatedness or a lack of clarity seems to be widespread in the debate.

In order to sharpen the current debate, Christian Wille (University of Luxembourg) provides a commentary on borders as complex phenomena in a new UniGR-CBS working paper. In a first step, the author identifies examples of what border scholars currently qualify as complex and asks which analytical and conceptual developments have encouraged the increasing talk of a border’s complexity. In a second step, he explores the notion of complexity and suggests how border studies can be inspired by complexity theories by focusing on performative interrelations and their emergent dis/orders.
 

Bibliographical information
Wille, Christian (2025): Towards a New Departure in Border Studies? A Comment on the Increasing Talk of Complexity. Working Paper 22, UniGR-Center for Border Studies, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14748751.
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