Borders: A Very Short Introduction, by Alexander C. Diener and Joshua Hagen, is a brief the history of geographic borders and their implications on the world throughout history. Diener and Hagen make the argument that borders, as commonly understood today, are a relatively new phenomenon and as humanity moves forward borders modern boarders will no longer be possible. The writers maintain as globalization continues to make the world a smaller place or as they say, “make the world flat”, the notion of the formal state border is slowly coming to an end. Acknowledging that borders as they are understood today will not vanish overnight and will be here for the foreseeable future but in time they must change is central to their argument (Diener & Hagen, 2012). In making their case they give the reader a brief history of geographic boarders and how the modern nation state came about.
As nomadic societies evolved into cities, then city-states states, and eventually empires, established borders slowly began to take shape. From the Sumerians around 4000 BCE to the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 what was first nothing more than a loosely guarded line of demarcation eventually became the firm geographic borders used around the world today. Diener and Hagen detail how these borders have been used as both unifying and dividing forces since the beginning, but as globalization continues to sweep the planet the idea of borders and how they are used must be reevaluated. In their final paragraph the writers summarize their argument by expressing as globalization continues to move forward it is important to reevaluate modern understanding of borders and the impacts they have on the world community (Diener & Hagen, 2012).
Despite the briefness of the...
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...be it would be better served as an introduction as opposed to something that is offered at the end of the semester. Borders offers a brief overview of the important issues the students will encounter over the course of the semester. The book would be a great way to introduce students to the ideas they would be encountering during the coming semester. It would be a great way to prepare them for what they are going to read each module in the Key Concepts book. Therefore Borders receives thumbs up when considering whether it should be used in future classes or not.
Works Cited
Diener, A. C., & Hagen, J. (2012). Borders:A Very Short Introduction. Great Britian: Oxford University Press. Retrieved March 1, 2014
Gallaher, C., Dahlman, C. T., Gilmartin, M., Mountz, A., & Shirlow. (2009). Key Concepts in Political Journey. Thousand Oaks, California, United States: SAGE.
I was able to relate to when Jessie said that borders are symbols of the divisions we make of each other. These borders are made up by people to keep each other apart from one another. Whether it is for social, economic, or cultural reasons, the division remains. As Brooke pointed out, these borders prevent freedoms and deny opportunities.
There are several theories to look into when discussing the morality of borders. I specifically look into Stephen Macedo’s chapter “The Moral Dilemma of U.S. Immigration Policy, open borders versus social justice?” in Debating Immigration and Joseph Carens article “Aliens and Citizens: The Case for Open Borders.” Using political theory back up his argument, Carens uses Rawlsian, the Nozickean, and the utilitarian to support and explain his claims that there is little justification for keeping oppressed people from other countries seeking a better life out of the United States. Macedo also uses similar liberal philosophy referencing Rawlsianism to support the opposing idea of a more restrictionist society, posing the question of cosmopolitanism
Harm de Blij and his “The Power of Place: Geography, Destiny, and Globalization’s Rough Landscape” truly describes how geography is displayed in the world today. In particular on of the major themes that he discusses is the idea of globalization. He actually calls these people the “globals.” In the very beginning of his book he describes two different types of peoples: Locals and Globals. The difference between these people is that Locals are the poorer people, not as mobile, and more susceptible to the concept of place. On the other hand the Globals are the fortunate population, and are a small group of people who have experienced globalization firsthand (5). This idea of globalization is a main theme that Blij refers to throughout the book, however he also indirectly references the five themes of cultural geography: culture regions, cultural diffusion, cultural interaction, cultural ecology, and cultural landscapes. Through Blij’s analysis these five themes are revealed in detail and help explain his overall idea of globalization in the world today.
Garner, R., Ferdinand, P., & Lawson, S. (2009). Introduction to politics. Oxford, England: Oxford UP.
The creation of borders and boundaries has been around since the beginning of civilization. The division of property and possessions among individuals establishes a sense of self-worth. The erection of fences and walls keeps property separate. Walls also serve as a means of separating worlds. Modern society demands the creation, and maintenance of these boundaries. In his poems, “The Tuft of Flowers,'; and “Mending Wall,'; Robert Frost explores the role that walls play in our lives. He examines how the lives of men are both separated, and drawn together by walls.
Comeaux, Malcolm L. “Attempts to Establish and Change a Western Boundary.” Association of American Geographers, 2006-2009: 254-271.
Gildea, Robert Barricades and Borders: Europe 1800-1914, Oxford University Press, New York 2nd edn, 1996
Danziger, James N. Understanding the Political World: A Comparative Introduction to Political Science. New Jersey: Pearson, 2013. Print.
The boundary demands a perception of the cultural, political and social features that signifies enclave differences of the area. To behold ones vision for education and the future excludes all boundaries, they have no limit or territories. One only has to exceed the imagination and break all confines of learning. In its original and strictest forms, “Sensation and reflections are the boundaries of our thoughts.”(Locke) …But still his native country lies beyond the boundaries of the skies.”(Cotton)
Borders are an important part of any nation. They allow nations to govern and enforce laws
Zacher, Mark W. “The Territorial Integrity Norm: International Boundaries and the Use of Force.” International Organization. Vol. 55, No. 2 (Spring 2001), 215-250.
Shapiro, Ian, Rogers M. Smith, and Tarek E. Masoud, eds. Problems and Methods in the Study of Politics. Cambridge ; Cambridge University Press, 2004.
Hoffman, J. & Graham, P. (2009), Introduction to Political Theory, 2nd Edition: London: Pearson Education Limited.
Globalization is defined as “the historical process involving a fundamental shift or transformation in the spatial scale of human social organization that links distant communities and expands the reach of power relations across regions and continents (Baylis, 2014).”
There is an undeniable fact that there has been a rise in globalization. It has become a hot topic amongst the field of international politics. With the rise of globalization, the sovereignty of the state is now being undermined. It has become an undisputed fact that the world has evolved to a new level of globalization, the transferring goods, information, ideas and services around the globe has changed at an unimaginable rate. With all that is going on, one would question how globalization has changed the system that is typically a collection of sovereign states. Do states still have the main source of power? What gives a state the right to rule a geographically defined region? It is believed by many that due to the introduction of international systems and increasing rate of globalization, the sovereignty of the state has been slowly eroded over time. My paper has two parts: First, it aims to take a close look at how globalization has changed the way the economy worked, specifically how it opened doors for multinational corporations to rise in power. Second, to answer the question, is it possible for it to exist today? And even so, should it?