Centre for international border research

Considering that despite being challenged in the contemporary world, borders remain pivotal to practical issues of development, social welfare, cultural identity, ethno-national conflict, political surveillance, sovereignty and democracy, the research centre addresses the reshaping of borders by globalisation, European integration and increasing cross-border flows.

To do so, the centre relies on its members and research projects they are involved in to feed its publications, events and documentation centre. Activities documented on the website demonstrate that the research has been particularly active in the 2000s and early 2010s. Members have been involved in a range of large-scale transnational research projects financed in particular by the successive EU Framework Programmes, the EU Peace and Reconciliation Programme, the EU Erasmus + programme and several universities from the UK and abroad.

The CIBR website is a highly rich information source providing open access to the CIBR Working Papers Series. These include topics of international border related research targeting a board social science and humanities readership. Another set of working papers, so-called ‘Mapping Frontiers, Crossing Borders”, documents the research undertaken in the framework of a two-year collaborative research (2004-2006) comparing the Irish border with other divided countries (e.g. Korea, Vietnam, Germany, Cyprus, Sri Lanka). These working papers provide access to research undertaken both by distinguished border scholars as well as early career researchers worldwide.

The “resources” section of the website provides access to a wide range of materials, a gallery of photographs (i.e. “After Schengen photo series”) and internet links. It includes most notably an “Audio archive” section where audio records from field research are available. These records include talks with scholars, international organisation analysts and border practitioners. They address border situations worldwide (incl. Africa, Asia, Oceania).

The Centre is driven by established scholars in border studies. It runs a visiting fellowship programme which, according to the website, has been particularly active from 2004 to 2013. An international advisory board as well honorary fellows contribute also to the centre’s work.

The website provides also access to the list of seminar and conferences hold by or ran in partnership with the Centre.