wwp@yahoogroups.com:
thoughts on "borders" - political boundaries
G. Donald Bain 2006-Mar-11 22:09:00
We try to select WWP themes that allow a variety of interpretations
and a wide range of creative expression. You can take the theme
literally, or metaphorically. There is always some interesting
discussion on this list in the weeks leading up to the event.
I tend to take the themes rather literally - for "Water" I shot a
waterfall and reservoir, for "Marketplace" the Ferry Building
Marketplace. For me, as a geographer, one of the great things about
the WWP is seeing all the different places, the varied environments
and cultures all with a common theme.
So, consider shooting actual borders - invisible lines on the ground,
usually defined by governments, but then made visible by the human
activities that must conform to them.
Here are a few examples of interesting borders:
In the desert of Southern California the line between Riverside and
Imperial counties (usually county boundaries are of little account)
is marked by a dramatic contrast between lush irrigated agriculture
(grapes and oranges) on one side, and sere barren desert on the
other. It is because an irrigation project boundary coincides with
the county line.
City and similar boundaries often show striking differences in
development - protected greenbelt right up against subdivisions.
Differing histories and municipal priorities sometimes highlight the
boundary between two cities (my high school intern Kaz is working on
one of these). Redevelopment district boundaries often contrast old
with new neighborhoods, sewer and water district boundaries limit
sprawl.
The state of Nevada has for many years allowed activities that are
illegal elsewhere, most notably gambling and prostitution. This has
resulted in some striking border scenes. On several highways you
drive for hours through uninhabited country, then find a cluster of
gaudy casinos and hotels at the state line. On one lonely desert road
the border is marked by a little cluster of shabby trailers with a
huge sign announcing "brothel".
I had a friend from Wisconsin (America's Dairyland) who said that
sale of margarine was prohibited there, and as a result there were
roadside "oleo" stands on major roads at the state line. I doubt if
this is still true, but there are probably other similar cases.
Driving across Texas, for example, one passes through "dry" counties,
where sale of alcoholic beverages is strictly limited.
California even has border checkpoints with adjacent states - for
agricultural inspection. I found the same thing between the two
Mexican states of Baja California Norte and Sur, where armed guards
check your papers then ask blandly if you have any "guns, drugs, or
citrus fruit".
Some borders are notable for their very insignificance - the US-
Canada border for example. Until recently it was unfenced and
unguarded, often marked only by a line clearcut through the forest.
In one location it even runs down the middle of the village street.
But now, with drug-smuggling from Canada becoming a problem, along
with Homeland Security concerns, the border checkpoints are being
vastly expanded.
The US-Mexico border is a fascinating subject . Although patrolled
and in places fenced, it is remarkably porous, with at least 350,000
"undocumented aliens" crossing it each year. My wife and I camped
right next to the border once, and all night we heard people running
past our tent, northbound in the dark. The border itself varies from
high fence with moat and surveillance cameras in urban areas, to a
simple barbed-wire cattle fence out in the desert. In Texas it runs
down the middle of the river (Rio Grande in the US, Rio Bravo in
Mexico).
In several places twin cities have grown up on the international
border: Detroit and Windsor, Niagara Falls-Niagara Falls on the
northern border; San Diego-Tijuana, El Paso-Juarez, Laredo-Nuevo
Laredo on the southern border. The daily border crossings in these
cities are on a truly massive scale.
I once flew across the border between the Dominican Republic and
Haiti. The Dominican side was undisturbed forest - an uninhabited
military buffer zone. The Haitian side was raw red eroding hillsides
with virtually no trees, dotted with straw-thatched villages.
Some borders that used to be important are now much less significant
- for example between the former West and East Germany, and through
Berlin. But others have gained in importance - new countries formed
by the breakup of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, internal
boundaries become international borders.
Borders often show signs of former conflicts - fortifications from
the Maginot Line to Hadrian's Wall, as well as monuments to peace
treaties. And of course some borders are still scenes of conflict -
the repeatedly redefined borders of Israel.
Culture often changes at a border - signs and place names can be in
different languages, postal boxes and uniforms change, there are
usually flags.
I'm running out of time here, but I hope this may have sparked a few
ideas. Everyone, please share your creative ideas with the list.
Don