A puzzle concerning borders and identities: towards a typology of attitudes to the Irish border

Abstract

State borders are typically held to shape categories of national identification. This paper explores this interrelationship in the light of empirical evidence drawn from research in the Irish border area. It begins by outlining a schema, drawn from the literature, which posits a movement from contestation of borders, to institutionalisation, to transgression. It then proceeds to show how this is reflected in scholarly and political interpretations of attitudes towards the Irish border. However, the paper argues that the typology which this schema suggests is not supported by the research, which has found little impact of state borders on categories of national identification. It concludes by arguing for a reinterpretation of the relationship between the character of states, borders and identity formation.