Paradigm shifts in boundary and border studies: disclosing geopolitical assumptions

ABSTRACT This article argues that four paradigm shifts have unfolded in boundary and border studies from the delimitation of the Durand line as the Indo-Afghan frontier. Three subsequent paradigm shifts relate to cooperative management of the Canada–US border after WW1, cultural hybridization across the Mexico-US border since the 1980s, and current networked assemblage of EU’s external border. The paradigm-shift framework connects conceptual advancements in boundary making and border studies with the geopolitical prominence of given borders. The article claims that scholars draw ideal types from the paradigmatic borders of their times, either by accepting or contesting the values anchored in them.