Bordercentric

Bordercentric is an adjective used to describe approaches, analyses, or design that place the concept of borders, boundaries, or borderlands at the center of inquiry or form. The term is employed across disciplines, including political science, human geography, urban planning, and cultural studies. In political science and policy analysis, bordercentric analysis treats national borders as primary determinants of policy choices, security strategies, immigration regimes, and sovereignty disputes. In geography and urban planning, bordercentric approaches study transboundary flows, border infrastructure, and the shaping of space by border regimes, often emphasizing how borders condition everyday movement and access. In cultural studies and anthropology, bordercentric perspectives examine identity, hybridity, and exchange produced by proximity to or crossing of borders.

Bordercentrism contrasts with nation-centric or region-centric viewpoints by foregrounding the processes, institutions, and everyday practices tied to borders rather than treating them as mere backdrops. The term is related to border studies, transboundary governance, and borderlands theory, and is used to critique or illuminate how boundaries structure social, political, and economic relations.

Critics warn that bordercentric analyses can overstate the salience of borders at the expense of internal dynamics, minority experiences, or cross-border solidarities that transcend boundaries. Proponents argue that borders remain powerful and consequential in many contexts, justifying bordercentric inquiry. See also: border studies, boundary work, sovereignty, transboundary governance.