DE-RE-BORD - Socio-spatial transformations in German-Polish 'interstices'. Practices of debordering and rebordering

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Gabriela B. Christmann
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research
• Term: from 2017 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 379602417

Although there is considerable research on border regions, so far only little is known about how socio-spatial transformation processes in border regions have unfolded. Furthermore, most border studies have contributed little to spatial theory-building. The project intends to address this research gap: The aim is to investigate socio-spatial transformation processes, i.e. transformations in local discourses as well as transformations in space-related thinking, acting and mobility patterns of residents and local actors in a selection of Polish-German border regions since the opening of the border in 2007 until the present days. We assume that due to physical debordering processes crossing the border has become popular, whereas at the same time cultural spaces continue to exist on either side of the border. Furthermore, we assume that the removal of a national border on the macro-level may bring about practices of rebordering such as the erection of "borders" on the micro-level (e.g. in terms of erecting fences, installing alarm systems, etc.). Against this background the overarching empirical question is which socio-spatial transformation processes can be identified, i.e. in how far "interstices" emerge, in how far debordering and rebordering processes can be observed, how they are interrelated, how they can be described and systematised. The project seeks to answer the question by focusing on transformations in local discourses as well as in the knowledge and practices of residents and local actors. Regarding the practices, mobility patterns as well as materialities of debordering or rebordering will be examined. For detailed analyses, the mobilities and materialities in the present days will be made visible by visual methods (e.g. video-walkings, hybrid mappings). The theoretical question is how the empirical results on socio-spatial transformation processes in border regions can be conceptualised, whereby communicative constructivism with its implications for spatial theory, actor-network-theory, and concepts of mobility will be made fruitful. The research team comprises scholars from sociology and geography being highly experienced in the research on border regions, in spatial theories, and in empirical research methods including visual methods and hybrid mapping.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Poland
• Partner Organisation: Narodowe Centrum Nauki (NCN)
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr. Jerzy Kaczmarek; Dr. Lukasz Rogowski