Mezzadra redraws research paths in Border Studies since the 1990s with special focus on Europe. He points to practices of border-crossing, mobility, proliferation, change and sealing of borders and reflects on concepts like differential inclusion. With reference to examples from Italy and the life-threatening struggles of migrants who cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe, he points to the current politics of violence at external borders. Furthermore, he shows how the current attempts to seal (western) borders resonate with political discourses about nationalism and the spread of authoritarian neoliberalism. At the end, Mezzadra mentions the logistical turn and proposes an approach that combines logistical studies with research on globalized capitalism and critical border studies.
This thesis inquires into the implementation of cross-border spatial planning strategies. Based on the study of cases such as Attert (Belgium), Backerich (Luxembourg), Montmédy (France), and Gaume (Belgium), as well as of the Vosges du Nord/Pfälzerwald Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, the author develops a typology of the different phases of the construction of a cross-border territory project.
