The production of borders in nineteenth-century Europe. Between institutional boundaries and transnational practices of space

The essay proposes to rethink the concept of “territoriality”, linked to the emergence of modern nation-states, traditionally attributed to 19th-century Europe. The specific focus of analysis is the construction of European borders in 19th century, since borders have not been sufficiently studied in an historical perspective, even though they have recently aroused a growing interest from scholars of different fields for their current importance. The analysis is developed in two directions. The first focuses on “borders”, in other words on some border creation processes developing throughout the European continent. The second one is more centred on European “borderlands”, conceived as trans-state and trans-national regions, mainly linked to the space's well-established social practices, family and economic networks and religious experience. The analysis method adopted is based on intertwining of the focus lent to spatiality in recent historiography - especially in global history – with the categories developed within the border studies field. Although a weak synergy has been established up to now between these two research trends, this essay shows the potential of a dialogue between the border studies’ ethnographic method and the recent development of a new global history. On the one hand, the article highlights how 19th century borders were not simply the product of an institutional decision performed by emerging or consolidating nation-states, but also the result of an interactive dialectic between state institutions and social actors who actually inhabited the borderlands. On the other hand, it shows how the borderlands as cross-border territorial entities continued to exist with a strong profile alongside the new territorial state limits, helping shape a more complex European spatiality than traditionally stated. Both processes make it possible to rethink some of the historical master narratives, such as formation of the nation-states, historicizing the nation-state itself as a spatial formation of a temporary and constructed nature and showing its coexistence with other significant spatial configurations.