Border versus Boundary at La Frontera

In this essay I discuss the complex and evolving situation at La Frontera, the US – Mexico border. I do so in light of my current research on the intervention of edges in human experiences. In that research, I distinguish several basic types of edge, such as rims, frames, and margins. Two of these types are of particular relevance to the circumstance at La Frontera: borders and boundaries. I identify certain primary differences between these two kinds of edge in order to illuminate the earlier history of La Frontera as well as what is now happening at this vexed site. I take up issues of mapping the border, the nature of the borderline, borderlands, and especially the presence of the massive wall that has been constructed along considerable portions of La Frontera. Implications for basic issues of being versus becoming in matters of society and space conclude the piece.