Jussi Laine

The Multiscalar Production of Borders

ABSTRACT The present geopolitical situation has made the debate on borders and their functions, significance, and symbolism more prominent than at any time since the end of the Cold War. While the various processes of globalisation have challenged the traditional border concept, the scalar model of identity and society remains primarily anchored in national space. The understanding of the state as a multiscalar construction, constantly negotiated and reconfigured by its actors at different levels, allows us to broaden the scope of our analysis and rethink and transform the spatial formations previously taken for granted in assessing the impacts of globalisation more regionally. State borders continue to have considerable relevance today, yet as the articles brought together in this special section will demonstrate, borders must be understood as complex, multiscalar, multidimensional, yet dynamic entities that have different symbolic and material forms, functions, and locations. With examples from Europe, Southeast Asia and the global south, this section aims to advance our knowledge of the multiscalar dynamics of border politics. The articles investigate how borders are negotiated vis-à-vis questions of identity, belonging, political conflict, and societal transformation, and how they are re- and deconstructed through various institutional and discursive practices at different levels and by different actors.

Constructing (Un)familiarity: Role of Tourism in Identity and Region Building at the Finnish--Russian Border

This paper investigates the role of tourism in the construction of (un)familiarity in Karelia at the Finnish–Russian borderland. From a historical perspective, it deals with a culturally homogenous space, which more recently became divided by the border into two nation states that differ politically, ethnically and linguistically. In the course of the Cold War, unfamiliarity was one of the tools used by the Soviet political elite in construction of national identity. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the border regime became liberalized and cross-border interaction began, familiarity became one of the key factors of the regional identity construction. The case of Sortavala, on which this study focuses, allows us to analyse how identity was constructed in official and media discourses. Although familiarity in the local context is more prominent, unfamiliarity is also at stake, not only in a negative sense, but also from a sense of curiosity about historical ties between the different parts of Karelia. This paper contributes to an understanding of EU external bordering politics. It also highlights the role of local actors in the (re-)construction and (re-)interpretation of borders. Tourism is seen as one of the facets of local identity formation. This study attempts to understand tourism-driven cross-border region-building processes.

Association of Borderland Studies' World Conference Report

The Association of Borderland Studies’ (ABS) first ever World Conference was held from June 9–13, 2014 in Joensuu, Finland and St. Petersburg, Russia. The event was hosted by the VERA Centre for Russian and Border Studies at the University of Eastern Finland in co-operation with the Centre for Independent Social Research and the European University at St. Petersburg, Russia. While the Association was initially formed in 1976 by scholars focussed on the United States–Mexico borderlands, in 2012 it was decided that it had become necessary to renew some of the traditional logistical and organizational practices in order to better accommodate the ever more international and diverse membership base. Rather than merely initiating yet another competing border conference series among dozens of established and high profile events, the goal was to provide a gathering not tied to one specific location, which would bring together various scholarly networks and the wider border studies community.

Building a Transnational Space for Action

While the field of international relations has evolved from its positivist premises—from a single means of understanding world politics towards a more nuanced and holistic approach—it still remains insufficient to understand the big picture. Despite recent efforts to broaden the field, it remains tied to great power politics and its basic unit of analysis remains the state. Independently, it is incapable of explaining the multilevelled and multiscalar processes that take place today. In the EU context, the national territory has been deterritorialized, whereby culture, politics and economies have become more transnational. While the operational preconditions of civil society remain linked with the operations of broader society surrounding it, there is no reason to assume that this should always be understood in the frame of a nation-state. Based on the experience from the Finnish–Russian border, this article argues that while the territorial sovereignty of the nation-states continues to form one of the leading principles upon which international relations are based, transnational relations are run increasingly by actors and organizations whose ability to function do not stop at the political borders. Owing to the changes in the governance modes, the state is no longer the primary actor, nor is the nation-state the only conception of space to be applied in explaining human interactions. The time has come to approach interactions in post-national terms and conceptualize a cross-border space, through civil society actor linkages.

Borderwork: Finnish-Russian co-operation and civil society engagement in the social economy of transformation

This paper presents results from research projects that have investigated networks of civil society organizations (CSOs) between EU member states and neighbouring countries. The focus here is on Finnish-Russian civil society co-operation in the areas of social welfare provision as well as regional and economic development. One major objective in this conjunction is to assess the contribution of this cross-border co-operation to the development of Russias social economy as well as to discuss the various obstacles that civil society actors face in developing co-operative projects. As such, organizational, social and technical issues are important areas to be addressed. However, civil society co-operation is not a mere technical issue; understanding of the social embeddedness of civil society are also necessary in order to promote social welfare agendas. The concluding section will reflect on experiences of CSO co-operation with regard to capacity-building processes of social learning and future prospects for social enterprise.

In search of balance: Russia and the EU in the North

Abstract No matter how the North is demarcated, the Russian Federation constitutes a significant share. Already its mere physical size and numerous neighboring states make Russia a noteworthy player and its actions, or lack thereof, are likely to affect other countries. Accordingly, it is in the interests of these countries to try to have a say in the direction that development in Russia takes. Many European policies and instruments aimed at influencing Russias development have, however, approached the country as an object rather than a subject. Russia has often taken these asymmetric approaches with a pinch of salt. This paper examines the Northern Dimension of the European Union as an example of a policy tool that stands a chance to have a strong impact on how Russia regards cooperation with its northern European neighbors and, in consequence, the entire order and balance in a changing North. Positive experiences from an equal partnership within this context may function as a usable springboard to further development and prompt other regional initiatives elsewhere. It is only through such experience that Russia may reject its tenacious strong state discourse and enable the kind of openness that international cooperation would entail.