Introduction: Comparative border studies

This special issue moves border studies in the humanities beyond their focus on the Mexico-US boundary as a privileged site for the emergence of transnational models of study. Articles on the Americas, Asia, and Europe draw attention to the transnational nature of national borders, explore border zones created by historical and contemporary expressions of US empire, and develop comparative models that focus on more than one national border or border zone. In a series of case studies, contributors examine the continued viability of border studies as critical methodology and geographical perspective. The comparative border studies framework that emerges from the articles situates the Mexico-US border and approaches to nationalism and imperialism that have been associated with this location in a wider global context.