The temporary reintroduction of border controls (whether during the so-called migrant crisis or more recently in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic) had significant disruptive effects on the spatial practices of populations in border regions, and in particular in some integrated European cross-border regions. Yet, the impact of these rebordering shocks on the significance of supposedly open borders remains unknown. With the aim of filling this gap in research, this paper examines the ways in which the dynamics of rebordering affect the meanings given to some iconic European borders by cross-border cooperation stakeholders. From a conceptual and methodological perspective, the research is based on semantic networks in order to take into consideration the multiplicity of meanings that actors assign to borders. Empirically, the research is focusing on two case studies: Greater Geneva and Greater Copenhagen (formerly Oresund region). The comparison of the border semantic networks based on data collected in 2014 and in 2021-2022, i.e. before and after the reintroduction of border controls in the two case studies, makes it possible to identify the impact of rebordering shocks on the mindset of cross-border cooperation actors and, in particular, the evolution of their mental representations of the border.
Mots clés : borders|rebordering|semantic networks|Greater Geneva|Greater Copenhagen
A103579CS