Discussion Papers 2009.
Old and New Borderlines /Frontiers/ Margins 7-11. p.
A BRIEF ESSAY ON BORDERS
BÁLINT CSATÁRI
Introduction
It was 25 years ago when I first participated on the 5th seminar of Polish and Hun-
garian geographers in Pécs, in 1983. Since then I have organised others in several
interesting topics (e.g. the last decade of state socialism, change of systems in CEE,
and their rural aspects). All of them were performed with much data, and computer
support. After 25 years, having found out the topic of this seminar, I decided to
break this classical geographic tradition.
I tried to create a geographic idea of border (limes in Latin) from another ap-
proach. It has been motivated by personal stories. One; there had been a series on
television called Game Without Borders (Jeux Sans Frontières). The town of Kec-
skemét had succeeded well in this game. Few of us thought then that one could
travel to Krakow from Kecskemét even without stopping at the 1000 years old
border crossing point in 2008. Have the societies of CEE grasped already its
significance?
The other story is even more personal. We made a trip to the Eastern Tatra
mountains with my English son-in-law. Coming down from Morskie Oko I tried to
explain him that the creek on the right hand side used to be the Hungarian–Polish
border for 1000 years. I realised he didn’t understand. That former border in the
Tatra mountains has no relevance to an Englishman.
My two examples highlighted that it’s worthwhile to examine borders according
to a geographic way of thinking. Several approaches to geography in developed
countries prove this. A dispute over this issue in the framework of a similar semi-
nar could draw some attention. Let’s start by analysing two main problems.
Border definition
The definition of border carries different and on the other hand sophisticated
meanings. Though the English language explains the definition of border in differ-
ent ways (border, margin, frontier, barrier, etc.). In order to fold out this multiple
meaning and give a general definition on border in a geographic sense, at least
three clusters of border definition should be designated.
Csatári, Bálint : A Brief Essay on Borders.
In: Old and New Borderlines /Frontiers/ Margins.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2009. 7-11. p. Discussion Papers, Special
8
BÁLINT CSATÁRI
Theoretical borders belonging to the first group exist and have a significant ef-
fect on our life. These are in other words philosophical borders, or can be explained
as borders of rules of human coexistence. Even “mental borders” is a correct defi-
nition, for one exists in the world of our thinking. A part of these have a direct ef-
fect on one’s acts and behaviour, and represent a significant share in behaviourist
geography. If there’s a problem with these borders in a society like the CEE socie-
ties nowadays, communities become uncertain; they cease to consider these mental
borders any more. This lack of moral barriers is revealing even in politics, entailing
a further social uncertainty about borders of rules determining their everyday life.
It is a general occurrence that miscellaneous sciences give different definitions
to borders representing the 2nd cluster. Ones relevant in the science of sciences,
mathematics could play a dominant role. They cover a range from borders of geo-
metric figures to the marginal value of functions, although we know that comput-
erised cyber space based on mathematics has no frontiers. Borders of space theory
in geography are very common to Euclidean space and space comprehension oper-
ating with classical border definitions. Traditional, or one can say, static geography
defines or designates borders by itself. Borders like this are the ones of continents,
climate zones, forest types and lands. Looking for the borders of dynamic spatial
processes covering different areas could be a more difficult approach. Designating
the borders of accession of some geographically central cities is a good example of
that, since these borders are often different from static administrative ones.
Finally borders really determining our lives themselves in terms of regional re-
search and planning can be grouped together. Site borders designating the basic
geographical order of settlements, as well as their shapes and structure are of those
kinds. These are the borders of blocks and districts in cities. The administrative
borders of settlements are one of the key elements of urban planning and research,
inside of which further borders can be located both by the general needs of local
community and urban functions.
Other important borders are those of micro regions drawn up by the daily spatial
interactions of inhabitants.
Disputes over regional borders in our countries are typical. New regions pro-
viding framework for EU regional policy have not been popularised yet for in-
stance in Hungary. Unlike traditional counties, they haven’t become a part of peo-
ple’s mental maps. Latter ones, which regional units carrying a special meaning
have gone on living with borders marked by signs all around by roads.
Finally, language, ethnical, religious borders as well as country borders in the
time-worn Carpathian Basin currently fading away all belong to this cluster.
In my opinion each of the three groups are essential in order to enable us ex-
press a well-founded opinion on several changes borders have presently been sub-
jected to. I will tell you some examples next.
Csatári, Bálint : A Brief Essay on Borders.
In: Old and New Borderlines /Frontiers/ Margins.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2009. 7-11. p. Discussion Papers, Special
A BRIEF ESSAY ON BORDERS
9
Some simple examples about the role and changes
of geographical borders
(1) Parcel borders are situated the closest to us. In respect to parcel borders, there
are many rankling phenomena nowadays. In the old days, local communities have
decided over the division of parcels. Mainly in the countryside, in villages, after
sharing equities – but some places already in the beginning – the community was
modest, and never hedged in a bigger area than needed for everyday life. Whether
the parcel borders were arranged in a regular order, or there was a hodgepodge
among them, which means that in reality they formed sets, they were accepted by
the whole local community. From the middle 19th century – in line with wealth-
growth – the separation of sites had strengthened. Nowadays, if we take gated
communities (which were imported from the West to CEE countries) or the ex-
tremely expensive villas of the nouveau riche as an example, the attitude for sepa-
ration has become stronger. Material segregation strengthens spatial segregation.
The new borders block everyday communication within local communities. In case
of gated communities, the inhabitants create their own rules within their newly
created and strictly guarded borders.
(2) Changes in the administrative borders of settlements and microregions in
Hungary highlight another interesting and different kind of problem. In the 1980’s,
a bunch of rural settlements were joined to cities due to positive discrimination
concerning urban areas and the political and redistributive preferences of state so-
cialism. Their number of inhabitants could easily reach the magical 100,000. Their
share of deconcentrated budget consequently increased. After transition, more than
100 settlements declared their independence and separation from the cities. Ad-
ministrative borders were redrawn year by year. The decision made on this local
level of democracy brought separation on the level of communities. Positive ten-
dencies were expected from separation, which mostly failed to occur.
Weird cases, when settlements claimed to be reallocated from a county to an-
other one also happened. Not much later, they realised that changing county bor-
ders to municipality ones didn’t bring general well-being.
(3) Even the changing borders of microregions have been a general practice in
Hungary. Their number has increased by 40 in the last 20 years. Some interesting
factors played a key role in this kind of border shifting. First, the number of small
settlements gaining town status had risen. Afterwards these small towns intended to
provide services to their own area in order to ensure influence on the microregion
and concentrate financial sources of development. Therefore, one by one, they
initiated the organisation of new microregions. Those acts entailed the appearance
of new borderlines on the map of Hungary. Few words are said, however, about the
basic tasks of supply quality within the borders, and that conditions of effective
operation are deteriorated by fragmentation. Here, when our seminar is held, the
Csatári, Bálint : A Brief Essay on Borders.
In: Old and New Borderlines /Frontiers/ Margins.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2009. 7-11. p. Discussion Papers, Special
10
BÁLINT CSATÁRI
disintegration of Sarkad microregion was brought up. The possible close end of the
microregion was demonstrated by showing a black coffin. Politics then withdrew.
In absence of well funded objective data on the size and functions of microregions,
their changes become unlimited.
(4) County and regional borders, although more solid in administrative terms,
hardly exist mentally. Neither people nor socio-economic processes stop at these
borders in almost any sense. Nevertheless, supply networks, subsidy systems, and
European Union’s convergence funds all target these main regional units. The bor-
der of this specific space called region and the inhabitants’ spatial identity differ
from one another. Therefore, regional programmes bring few results while leaving
regional disparities intact.
(5) A more interesting geographical issue is the fading and permeability of
country borders. It is evident that with some delays, nation state development in
CEE has finished. Furthermore, these borders of living space of nations had gener-
ally failed to conform to either ethno-linguistic or natural borders, just like the bor-
der of Wallonia and Flanders splitting the Belgian Kingdom in the centre can be
well detected nowadays. Such inner borders in our countries became more charac-
teristic after official disappearance. One can consider for instance the language
map of Romania or the cartogram showing electoral geographic results of Ukraine.
These borders, evidentially of artificial nature, had become solid in the minds of
the last 3 or 4 generations. Their mental stability and strength is a question to be
answered.
One could mention here the famous rainbow example. If one set off from the
Baltic sea to the Adriatic 4 –500 years ago, neighbourhoods could be easily found
understanding each others language, enabling the traveller to reach his destination
without trouble. Transforming nation state borders to language borders is a serious
side effect of current border problems. The reinstallation of a rainbow effect is a
prerequisite of the permeability and real disappearance of borders from the mental
maps of local inhabitants. If only parcel neighbours of a multinational settlement
could comprehend each others language as they used to 200 years ago. If only po-
litical leaders, economic and civil partners of nation states and regional areas all
knew that the only solution is Europe without borders!
Summary
Borders are variable. Their behaviour and effect is therefore diverse. Theoretical or
mental borders, often based on principles, almost never interfere with borders
drawn by scientific results, nor with political, administrative, linguistic or religious
borders. Borders with different types and origins also have a diverse significance.
Csatári, Bálint : A Brief Essay on Borders.
In: Old and New Borderlines /Frontiers/ Margins.
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2009. 7-11. p. Discussion Papers, Special
A BRIEF ESSAY ON BORDERS
11
Well designated, functionally comprehensive and mentally existing borders may
promote regional development, cohesion and local identity.
Badly drawn borders can form barriers. They could block development, restrain
natural circulations, and become hardly or not comprehensible.
In my opinion, local, microregional and regional borders should gain in impor-
tance, while country, national, linguistic and religious borders should become more
and more permeable.