Entangled Borders and the Making of Europe in the Nordic-Baltic Space – empirical takeaways

Abstract

Presenter: Sandra Hagelin (University of Tartu) Discussant: Dr Carolin Leutloff-Grandits (Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) The Baltic Sea Region exhibits the European Union’s (EU) complex array of border dynamics, comprising both formal and less formal border regimes and boundary demarcations that overlap, coexist, and are layered. These multiple entangled borders contribute to an ongoing re/configuration of what kind of EUrope is in the making. This dissertation aims to examine and evaluate the relationship between discursive representations of borders, border-making processes in the Nordic-Baltic region, and the trajectories of the EU. It addresses the following research questions: 1) How are borders and bordering processes discursively re/represented in governmental border communication during border-related crises in the EU? 2) What image of EUrope is inferred by these discursive representations? The study theoretically approaches this from the nexus of the identities-borders-orders (IBO) triad, arguing that the processes of identity-making, bordering, and order construction occur via discursive practices. Focusing on Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and Lithuania, the study methodologically relies on the Discursive Nodal Points (DNP) approach to map and compare metanarratives that underpin border discourses found in governmental border communication across three crises: the migration crisis of 2015, the border crisis with Belarus in 2021, and the travel ban of Russian Schengen visa holders in 2022. Special emphasis is placed on understanding how governmental communication produces discourses pertaining to national and supranational borders in the region and how these interrelate and reinforce different visions of the EU. The dissertation anticipates that different types of borders are nested in a complex entanglement, where borders discursively are endowed with meaning through comparative and overlapping border interpretations. Additionally, through border communication, various border regimes will be utilized to promote visions of EUrope, thereby opening up for leveraging combinations of entangled border regimes to prioritize certain trajectories over others.