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Crossing Frontiers: Exploring Everyday Experiences in North African Borderlands
Abstract
Research on the shared border regions between Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia remains largely unexplored, primarily due to the sensitive nature and critical security implications of this topic. This paper seeks to fill this gap by examining everyday narratives and practices in these overlooked borderland communities, specifically in the borderlands of Tunisia and Morocco. Drawing from extensive fieldwork, including in-depth interviews and informal conversations with over 80 respondents across five different border regions - – the Oujda region in Morocco, and the Gafsa, Kasserine, Kef, and Jendouba regions in Tunisia – my research aims to shed light on how communities residing in borderlands negotiate their everyday life within the distinctive conditions of their living environment. Borderlands are often viewed as marginalized spaces, but they are also reservoirs of powerful resources for their inhabitants. In these liminal zones, communities face unique challenges and opportunities that influence how they speak and act in relation to borders and bordering processes in their everyday life. I intend to explore how the everyday life of borderland residents are shaped by key elements related to borderlands and bordering processes. These include following factors: cross-border social connections and movements, border policing and the growing securitization of borders, national policies specific to border regions, as well as border governance processes. The findings indicate differences between border regions in terms of political and economic resources, influencing the range of actions available to address security and livelihood concerns and emphasizing the importance of considering the local context. Borderland communities’ narratives and experiences challenge traditional state -centric notions of borders and governance, suggesting a broader, more inclusive perspective that incorporates community agency.
Discipline
Anthropology
Geographic Area
Maghreb
Sub Area
None