ID | 121232 |
Title Proper | Geopolitical meaning of a contemporary visual arts upsurge on the Canada-US border |
Language | ENG |
Author | Amihat-Szary, Anne-Laure |
Publication | 2012. |
Summary / Abstract (Note) | WHY SEEK A VISUAL UNDERSTANDING OF BORDERS? Their common border can be seen as a synecdoche of the complex relations between Canada and the United States: not only is it the longest border in the world (at 8,891 kilometres-5,061 kilometres on land and 3,830 kilometres at sea), but it also represents a line where strong and soft politics and geopolitics converge. One can say that the border not only divides the two states but reflects their relations. Until recently, the border was considered one of the most "benign" the world-an exceptional label, considering the border's length.1 For over two centuries, political divisions between the two countries, inherited in part from a colonial divide in the east but also from the outcome of frontier competition in the west, did not represent an obstacle to everyday life in the border regions. In fact, various economic activities have benefitted from houses built on the line in order to evade taxation, to the more complex industrial systems, such as that of the automobile industry in the Great Lakes region. These activities have led to the consolidation of a number of cross-border regions, enhanced by NAFTA, which are witnesses to both the vitality and variety of interactions along the line.2 |
`In' analytical Note | International Journal Vol. 67, No.4; Autumn 2012: p. 951-962 |
Journal Source | International Journal Vol. 67, No.4; Autumn 2012: p. 951-962 |
Key Words | NAFTA ; Great Lakes Region ; Common Border ; Canada ; United States ; Geopolitics ; Automobile Industry |