In the field of geographical limology, the new science of international borders, it is possible to distinguish several consecutive theoretical approaches that can be seen as either traditional or postmodern. At each consecutive stage new approaches have been applied together with, not in place of, the traditional, in order to continue to perfect the discipline (see, for instance, Minghi, 1963; Rumley and Minghi, 1991). Traditional approaches, such as historical mapping, the typological, the functional and the political, have been described in (...) previous theoretical works (e.g. Kolossov and O'Loughlin, 1998; Kolossov and Turovsky, 1998; Kolossov and Mironenko, 2001). Here we are concerned with the postmodern approaches, which have been emerging mostly during the 1990s and the present decade. (shrink)

Résumé L’auteur entend synthétiser le contenu et les principaux résultats de quatre étapes décisives du développement des études concernant les frontières. Il redéfinit les concepts, les méthodes et les domaines d’application de ces secteurs de la recherche. Il met surtout l’accent sur la période contemporaine, insistant sur la discussion des approches post-modernes. Le premier ensemble de ces approches insiste sur l’évolution des identités territoriales et sur les relations entre centre et périphérie, facteurs principaux d’établissement des frontières et de leurs fonctions. (...) Le deuxième ensemble souligne l’importance des facteurs géopolitiques, y compris les différences culturelles entre territoires voisins. Les considérations de sécurité interpellent massivement ce groupe qui cherche à expliquer les changements relatifs aux régimes frontaliers. Le troisième ensemble s’attache à l’influence des perceptions de la diversité du monde contemporain pour les élites politiques et pour les opinions publiques. D’autres approches, enfin, analysent les frontières à partir de la combinaison des facteurs politiques et institutionnels ainsi que des perceptions des réseaux transfrontaliers à plusieurs niveaux du territoire. (shrink)

The author aims to synthesize the content and principal results of four decisive stages in the development of research around borders. He redefines the concepts, methods and areas of application of those parts of the research. He stresses particularly the contemporary period, highlighting discussion of postmodern approaches. The first group of these approaches emphasizes the evolution of territorial identities and relations betweent centre and periphery, the main factors in establishing borders and their functions. The second group stresses the importance of (...) geopolitical factors, including cultural differences between neighbouring territories. To a huge extent security considerations preoccupy this group, which tries to explain changes in border regimes. The third group is concerned with the influence of perceptions of the contemporary world's diversity on political elites and public opinion. Finally other approaches analyse borders starting from a combination of political and institutional factors as well as perceptions of cross-border networks at several territorial levels. (shrink)