Of Borders, Boundaries, and Borderscapes
By Warner M.Montgomery warner@thecolumbiastar.com

John Whitaker (r) , a new member of the Torch Club, congratulates Dr. Julian Minghi on his fine presentation.

Dr. Julian Minghi, retired professor of geography, spoke to the Columbia Torch Club February 26, 2008, on Borderscapes, a topic he recently presented to an international geography association. Minghi, a native of England, received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington and for 30 years while teaching at USC he focused his research on national borders.

The lines on the map, according to Minghi, are only indications of the separation between nations. Border lines are always changing and are subject to numerous forces including war, insurgency, population pressure, and political ambition. He presented a tentative classification of borderscapes and gave examples of countries he has studied:

• When the USSR collapsed, the border between East and West Germany was abandoned.

• When Israel defeated his neighbors in the Seven Days War, new bor- ders were established.

• At the end of World War II, the city Trieste transitioned between Italy and Yugoslavia.

• The border between the U.S. and Mexico is currently being redefined and hardened to control immigration.

• As nations join the European Union, the old borders become temporarily dysfunctional.

• With the fall of the USSR, Norway prepared to open its border with Russia for access to Mermansk only to be spurned by new Russian restrictions.

The Columbia Torch Club meets monthly for a fine meal and an exciting talk by one of its members. For information, please contact Ed Latimer at 803- 776-4765.