Boundaries under Construction: Linking Body Politics to Space

• Main Author: Anke Strüver
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille 2004-07-01
• Series: Espace populations sociétés
• Subjects: embodied identities; epistemology; boundary; social differences
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/eps/558

This article brings together recent feminist debates on the discursive construction of embodied identities on the one end and geographical notions of spaces and boundaries on the other. Boundaries are reflected upon as symbols encapsulating lines that define differences - both spatial and social, resulting in inclusion and exclusion. Yet, it is argued that boundaries are crucial for the constitution of identities. For, their character is not necessarily exclusive, but they are also porous and permeable zones where people get in contact with each other.