The Edge of the Plain: How Borders Make and Break Our World

The book "The Edge of the Plain" by James Crawford argues that our obsession with borders has brought us to a crisis point, leading to the endgame of a process that began thousands of years ago. He explores how borders have grown and evolved to control our landscapes, memories, identities, and destinies and asks if it is time to let go of the lines that divide us.

Format: Hardback
Length: 432 pages
Publication date: 04 August 2022
Publisher: Canongate Books Ltd

Today, the world is more border-ridden than ever before in human history. In his book, James Crawford argues that our enduring fascination with borders has led us to a critical juncture: we are nearing the end of a process that began thousands of years ago, when we first started dividing up the earth. Crawford traces the story of borders into our fragile and uncertain future, towards the virtual frontiers of the internet and the shifting geography of a world grappling with climate change. Throughout his journey, he visits numerous borders, both old and new, including the melting border in the Austrian-Italian Alps, the only place on land where Europe and Africa converge, the artist Banksy's Walled Off Hotel in the conflict-ridden West Bank, and the Sonoran Desert and the fault lines of the US/Mexico border.

Combining history, travel, and reportage, The Edge of the Plain delves into how borders have evolved and grown to exert control over our landscapes, memories, identities, and destinies. As nationalism, climate change, globalization, technology, and mass migration all collide with increasingly rigid borders, something has to give. Crawford poses the question: is it time to let go of the lines that divide us?

Weight: 652g
Dimension: 164 x 242 x 42 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781838852023
Edition number: Main