The TEIN had the honour and pleasure to attend the third World Conference of the Association for Borderlands Studies (ABS) in February 2023. Organised by David Newman and the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the conference took place in Eilat, Israel, close to the border with Egypt and Jordan.

Many interesting ideas and insights were shared by TEIN Members and associated members on that occasion.

• The UniGR-Center for Border Studies, organized an inspiring panel “Beyond Representations: Grasping the textured Character of Borders”. The speakers and panel chairs C. Wille and A. Fellner discussed the role of cultural representations in bordering and border research processes.
• Machtheld Venken (UniGR-Center for Border Studies) moderated two Panels: one on “Social Policies and Welfare for Children and Women in European Borderlands” and the other on “Veterans’ Welfare in European Borderlands through the 20th Century”.
• Joanna Kurowska-Pysz (WSB University) presented a paper on the “Changes in the Barriers to European Cross-Border Educational Projects Supported by the Interreg Programme – the Covid 19 Pandemic effect”.
• Birte Wassenberg (Sciences Po Strasbourg), Fabienne Leloup (Institut frontières et discontinuités), Machtheld Venken and Anne Thevenet (Euro-Institut) talked in panel about “Border Influx and Border Temporalities”. The panel gave the opportunity to think about how to organise archives related to cross border cooperation: a huge issue for research and capitalisation!
• Martin Guillermo Ramirez and Juan Manuel Trillo Santamaria (AEBR) were “Evaluating the Effects of the Latest Crises on the Willingness and Understanding of Cross Border Cooperation”.
• Carolin Leutloff-Grandits (Center B/orders in Motion, European University Viadrina), presented a paper on the “Inner Fringe of the EU External Border as “Grey Space”: On Border Temporalities and Entangled Movements and Halts within the Croatian-Bosnian Borderzone”
• Hynek Bohm (Institut Euroschola/University of Liberec) talked about “Cross Border Cooperation in Visegrad Group Countries: From Debordering to Rebordering (and back)” as well as about the “Euroregions as Political Actors: Managing Borders Policies in the Time of Covid 19 in Polish Borderlands”
• Our Frontem Project was presented through contributions of Fabienne Leloup and Anne Thevenet and talking about “Cross-Border Resilience” at their border under the moderation of Birte Wassenberg.
• Anne Thevenet moderated the panel on “Control Mechanism at the Border”.

Moreover, TEIN had the unique chance to be part of the closing panel: Anne Thevenet presented the BIG 21st century borders project (led by Emmanuel Brunet-Jailly, University of Victoria) the TEIN is a member of, our network and reflections on its contribution to the future agenda of Border Studies.

Alongside the conference, field trips were organised by the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, which gave the participants the chance to meet managers of the Israeli-Egyptian as well as of the Israeli-Jordanian border, a member of a Kibboutz, representatives of a Bedouin community living in Israel, Palestinians living in the West Bank, Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, the mayor of a Jewish settlement in the West Bank and representatives of the organisation Roots. With the help of scholars (thanks to Gidon Biger, Oren Yiftachel, David Newman), the tours offered the participants an insight into the situation at these very special borders and a better understanding of this very complex situation.

Many thanks to the Association for Borderlands Studies, to David Newman, to the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, to Borders in Globalization-21st century borders (University of Victoria) for the possibility to attend the conference and to represent the Transfrontier Euro-Institut Network (TEIN)!

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More information on the 3rd World Conference of the Association for Borderlands Studies (ABS).

Review of the 2nd World Conference of the Association for Borderlands Studies (ABS) by the UniGR-CBS: