Performing the Border as a Zone of Contestations: A Critical Analysis of Root Map

Abstract

The plethora of meanings associated with the term “border” not only accentuates the frequent use of the word, but also implicates the border as a zone of contestations. These contestations underscore how borders covertly or overtly continue to affect the lives of millions of people across the globe. By “zone of contestations,” I situate the border as both a tangible and an intangible site that is replete with competing narratives about migration and migrants themselves. As a zone of contestations, the border eschews the idea of a monolithic story of migration; instead, it presents us with layers of stories by relocating border discourses to the realm of both the personal and the interpersonal lives of those interfacing with the border.

Keywords: migration, performance, theatre, border, migrants, deontology, consequentialism

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/9-24-10

Publication date: December 31^st 2019