The Weight of the Border

Borders are not merely lines on maps; they are lived experiences. A border exists only insofar as it is felt, and it is not experienced in the same way by everyone. It is most intensely present for those compelled to feel it. Who perceives the border? Who bears its weight? For people burdened by legal precarity, racialisation and poverty, the border becomes a persistent condition. It follows them, shaping where they can go, how they move and which opportunities remain beyond their reach. Bordering practices continue to structure their lives through surveillance, exclusion and bureaucratic control. In this sense, the border is always ahead, never fully left behind. The border is therefore not only a place but an enduring condition. In this talk, I draw on examples from Iran and Sweden to demonstrate how borders operate as instruments of racialised governance and differentiated mobility.