MAPPING FRONTIERS, PLOTTING PATHWAYS

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MAPPING FRONTIERS, PLOTTING PATHWAYS
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BACKGROUND

• Borders and border zones as a reality of life in
  contemporary Europe

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BACKGROUND

• and the Irish border as a new challenge
  from four provinces to two states

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OBJECTIVES

• The programme will explore the border from a
  comparative historical perspective and look at
  efforts (especially after 1998) to counteract its
  more negative effects. It is designed to
• Improve our understanding of the nature of
  borders in general and of the Irish border in
  particular
• Assess socio-economic and political costs of
  partition
• Examine cross-border bodies, old and new
• Propose measures to improve cross-border relations

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APPROACH

• The programme will tackle three main themes
• Borders in comparative perspective comparison
  with other borders and frontiers zones within and
  outside Europe
• The Irish border analysis of partition and its
  consequences for the two Irish states that
  appeared in 1921-22
• Cross-border relationsassessment of the degree
  of cross-border contact in contemporary Ireland
  and of the changing position since 1998

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(1) BORDERS COMPARATIVE

• There are many bases of comparison
• Cold War frontiers (Korea, China-Taiwan
  Germany and Vietnam in the past)
• Internal ethnic conflicts (Cyprus, Sri Lanka,
  Belgium)
• Consequences of geopolitical realignment
  (Alsace-Lorraine, Tyrol, Schleswig)
• New transfrontier issues (Basque Country, etc.)

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(2) THE IRISH BORDER

• The evolution of the Irish border will be
  studied in detail, focusing on
• Partition as a mechanism for separating
  communities
• Cold-war perspectives from Dublin and Belfast
• The Irish dimension after 1972
• Negotiating a new North-South relationship

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(3) CROSS-BORDER RELATIONS

• Here three major sub-themes or topics will be
  addressed
• The nature of the border
• The impact of the border
• Addressing the issue of the border

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(3) CROSS-BORDER RELATIONS

• A. The nature of the border
• The border and the two communities
• The southern minority
• The northern minority
• The reality of life on the border

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(3) CROSS-BORDER RELATIONS

• B. The impact of the border
• Politics and political organisations (parties,
  elected members)
• Public administration (civil services, education,
  health, etc.)
• Communications (road, rail, air, sea newspapers,
  radio, TV, etc.)
• Economy (trade, industrial develop.)
• Society, culture, religion, sports (island-wide
  organisation)

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(3) CROSS-BORDER RELATIONS

• C. Addressing the issue of the border
• Voluntary or non-state initiatives (Co-Operation
  Ireland etc.)
• Public sector initiatives post-1972
• European dimension (INTERREG, Peace and
  Reconciliation Programme, etc.)
• North-South implementation bodies post-1998
• Other forms of institutionalised public sector
  cooperation

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MODE OF OPERATION
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OUTPUTS

• CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
• Regular workshops and round-table meetings
• Periodic conferences and public events
• Closing conference
• PUBLICATIONS
• Regular working papers
• Journal articles, book chapters, two books
• Website
• PUBLIC IMPACT
• Involvement of policy makers
• Liaison with public

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Research team (Belfast-Armagh) Elizabeth Meehan,
Liam ODowd, Cathal McCall, Patrick McWilliams,
James Anderson, Hastings Donnan, Andy Pollak,
Robin Wilson
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Research team (Dublin) John Coakley, Jennifer
Todd, Etain Tannam, Cormac Ó Gráda, Kevin Howard,
Kieran Rankin, John Bradley
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CONTACTS
Dublin353-1-716 8670ibis_at_ucd.iewww.ucd.ie/ibi
s
Belfast44-28-9097 5317mapping.frontiers_at_qub.ac
.ukwww.governance.qub.ac.uk