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New UniGR-CBS Working Paper: Grenzüberschreitendes Placemaking – eine konzeptuelle Annäherung mit Einblicken am Beispiel des Grenzraums Saar-Moselle
The concept of “placemaking” is well established in architectural, urban, and regional planning discourse. It refers to processes through which localities become identity-forming – through spatial design, social practices, or symbolic loading.
This working paper offers a first theoretical reflection on the transferability and further development of placemaking in cross-border contexts…
Podcast UniGR-CBS – Stories of Czech-Bavarian cross-border work
Since the early 1990s, large numbers of workers have crossed the Czech-German border daily to work in Bavaria. Today, around 23,500 cross the border for work each day, including almost 22,000 Czech nationals. This workforce is concentrated primarily in the Bavarian border districts of Waidhaus, Furth im Wald and Freyung-Grafenau, where Czech cross-border workers represent between 6% and 9% of…
Border Realities: From “Humanitarian Interventions” to Migrant Deaths: The Legitimation of Violence through Law
In this online lecture, Shoshana Fine examines how liberal democracies legitimise violence through law. From so-called “humanitarian interventions” to migrant deaths at sea, she shows how appeals to the universal, logical, and objective form of law make violence appear just, rational, and inevitable. Focusing on two cases – the NATO’s so-called humanitarian…
Border Realities: Protecting migrants or keeping them in their place? Migrant deaths, information campaigns and humanitarian dilemmas at the border
In this online lecture, Antoine Pécoud explores two forms of political interventions that are characteristic of the humanitarian dilemmas raised by contemporary border control. The first is the prevention of migrant deaths, with a particular focus on the production of knowledge and statistics. The second is the organization of information campaigns to incite potential…
Atelier Bordertextures – Poetik der Relationalität
The Bordertextures Working Group would like to invite you to the next Bordertextures Atelier.
8 December 2025 | 5:00 p.m. (CET), online Lecture: Poetik der Relationalität. Olivia Wenzels 1000 Serpentinen Angst als Bordertextur Speakers: Cécile Chamayou-Kuhn (Université de Lorraine), Lena Wetenkamp (KU Leuven) Working language:…
ON AIR – The UniGR Centre for Border Studies podcast
Following the success of the first season, which provided insights into border research and the work of the UniGR-CBS working groups, the podcast is now entering its next phase: from 15 October 2025, UniGR-CBS will once again invite listeners to discover current research topics and collaborations in audio format.
The second season will focus on collaborations…
Emergencies and Borders. Studies of polycrises in the Franco-German space: (post-)migration and climate-ecology
The international and interdisciplinary conference marks the conclusion of the series “Emergencies and Border: Franco-German Perspectives”, which is part of the Program-Training-Research of CIERA (2023–2025).
20th and 21st November 2025 Université de Lorraine (Metz) Campus du Saulcy, Espace Rabelais, Room "thèses"
Program (German and French) available here
Among the…
Border Realities: Humanitarianism in times of border militarization
The answer to suffering and deaths at borderlands has been humanitarian interventions, based on international law and compassion for people on the move. Various humanitarian actors, citizens, IOs, and NGOs attempt to save lives at sea or on land. What happens when humanitarian reason is used to justify more control or to depoliticize these acts of solidarity,…