Speaking to The Wall: Reconceptualizing the US–Mexico Border “Wall” from the Perspective of a Realist and Constructivist Theoretical Framework in International Relations

Jessica Becker

Journal of Borderlands Studies, 2021, vol. 36, issue 1, 17-29

Abstract: In his 2016 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump has promised to build a “big, beautiful wall” along the US–Mexico border. The desire to build and fortify border structures around the world has accelerated since the Cold War. After a brief discussion of the historical tradition of border walls, I illustrate how these structures are neither functional nor feasible; rather, as others have pointed out, they are performative. The paper identifies two competing perspectives on borders in international relations. Realists believe that in the face of threats to its sovereignty, a state must ensure its own survival by doubling down on borders. This kind of response however results in a cycle of border militarization which is highly evident in places like Nogales, Arizona. A social constructivist perspective in international relations can provide a way of thinking outside of the dominant realist paradigm as constructivism relies on a discussion about the ideas that underlie our understanding of border security. Borderlands are fluid and highly contested spaces through which changing perceptions on border security can be readily observed. Countering the border-as-weapon narrative established by Trump will not be an easy task; however, ongoing efforts to change norms reveal great potential for reconceptualizing borders.

Date: 2021
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/08865655.2018.1482775 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:rjbsxx:v:36:y:2021:i:1:p:17-29

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/rjbs20

DOI: 10.1080/08865655.2018.1482775

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Borderlands Studies is currently edited by Emmanuel Brunet-Jailly, Henk van Houtum and Martin van der Velde

More articles in Journal of Borderlands Studies from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().