The co-mingling of rebordering and debordering in territorial configurations. A field theory approach


La combinación de la refronterización y la desfronterización en la configuración territorial. Un acercamiento desde la teoría de campos


https://doi.org/10.21670/ref.2406142

Authors

Keywords:

rebordering, debordering, fields, binational park, Mexico.US border

Abstract

The article aims to explain the mingling of two opposing processes, debordering and rebordering, and their territorial implications. Field theory, specifically external relations between fields (intersection and interaction), is used to explain this. In order to test it, a qualitative methodology is applied to the analysis of a case related to the configuration of the US-Mexico border perimeter: the planning of a binational park in the twin cities of Nuevo Laredo and Laredo (2021-2022). As it is shown, the park is both a space that is jointly managed by and for both cities and a space for border surveillance. It is concluded that mingling is the result of the intersection of three fields (the environmental movement, the twin cities, and border security) on the basis of several elements common to all three (a geographical location, a plant species, and a narrative).

Resumen

El objetivo del artículo es explicar la combinación de la desfronterización y la refronterización, dos procesos opuestos, y sus efectos en la configuración territorial. Para explicarlo se recurre a la teoría de campos, en particular en cuanto a las relaciones externas entre campos (la intersección e interacción). Para probarlo, se emplea una metodología cualitativa para analizar un caso referido a la configuración del perímetro fronterizo de México y Estados Unidos: la planeación de un parque binacional en las ciudades gemelas de Nuevo Laredo y Laredo (2021-2022). Como se muestra, el parque constituye a la vez un espacio gestionado conjuntamente por y para ambas ciudades y un espacio de vigilancia fronteriza. Se concluye que esta combinación es resultado de la intersección de tres campos (el movimiento ambientalista, las ciudades gemelas y la seguridad fronteriza) a partir de varios elementos compartidos por los tres (una localización geográfica, una especie vegetal y una narrativa).

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2024-03-20

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Author Biography

Xavier Oliveras González

Spanish. PhD in Geography from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 2009. Senior Researcher at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (El Colef). Research lines: political geography, territorial and border processes, the border-migration nexus and post-humanism. Recent publication: Oliveras González, X. (2023). “Abrazos, no muros”: entre la fronterización y la resistencia a la frontera en el límite México-Estados Unidos. Revista Pueblos y Fronteras Digital, 18, Artículo e-632.