Boundary Studies in Political Geography

The current article reviews the border studies literature produced during the first half of the 20th century. Working within the field of Political Geography, these works construct a general framework for analysis that offers conceptual tools for the study of borders as a spatial phenomenon and territorial expression of the power limits between political units at different levels (international, national, local). The article looks at descriptive works that focus on the nature and features of borders, and also at works that deal with the diverse typologies of borders, their complex functions and the impacts generated by the distinct distribution of spatial patterns. To illustrate this complexity, the second part of the article offers a systematic classification based on a range of study cases -with distinct objects and methodologies-, which reveal the dynamic and contingent nature of borders. Special attention is paid to the social, political, cultural and economic interactions between territories and peoples across borders.