A borderless region? (Nazi‐)GermanWestforschungand the German‐Dutch‐Belgian Borderland
Ad Knotter
Abstract This paper focuses on the historical research tradition of Kulturraumforschung (the study ‘cultural regions') as it was developed in Germany before World War II, and its impact, not only Nazi program border change 1930s 1940s, but also contemporary political construction a ‘de‐bordered’ Euregio Meuse‐Rhine German‐Dutch‐Belgian borderland. The argues that profound essentialism this way thinking is best replaced by constructivist actor‐oriented approaches based social sciences. Historically, we cannot overlook impact formation borders 19th 20th centuries. Political institutionalized national territories borderlands promoted regional identities within context. emerging studies geography anthropology can help historians to develop non‐essentialist comparative interpretation cross‐border history Area.
Journal of Borderlands Studies