The Two Dimensions of the Border: An Empirical Study France-Italy
Résumé
This chapter is based on the theoretical conceptualisation that the border serves a dual function: on the one hand, it excludes everything that is outside; on the other and simultaneously, it includes what is already inside. We empirically analyse a study of the press and present our theory of the border, according to which: (1) inclusion is achieved by the construction of a cultural homogeneity and (2) a standardisation of the population that is located on the territory delimited by the border itself. In some cases, the border may include “external” populations or parts of territory, through the acquisition of territory, in a more or less regulated manner and for economic or humanitarian reasons, of large flows of immigrants.