Seeing and Thinking Borders

Abstract

The title of this chapter, seeing and thinking borders, can be read in three different ways. It might refer to, firstly, the obvious fact that I try to adequately see and think borders - to subject processes of bordering and their contingent results to critical scrutiny. Or, secondly, the title might indicate that the acts of seeing and thinking themselves border - that perception and cognition are crucial elements in processes of bordering. Here, the role of cultural expressions in the habitualising and de-habitualising of contingent regimes of in/exclusion can be investigated. Thirdly, the title might mean that, today, borders increasingly start to see and think on their own - they become seeing and thinking borders. This part will focus on dynamic and responsive technological systems that afford new forms of categorization and classification at the various nodes of contemporary dis-located and networked borderscapes. Finally, I will bring these somewhat divergent meanings back together again and suggest a trajectory for future research that critically scrutinizes the role of culture and technology in processes and practices of bordering.