Mémoire
| Résumé : | In previous literature on border issues, there is no comprehensive and valid border theory for analysing borders. Borders have been studied from different approaches and disciplines, but so far a constructivist approach within international relations has not been adopted for this topic. This research aims to analyse the border concept as a legal, diplomatic and economic space, studying the case of the Spanish-Moroccan border of the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. This particular border has become a global focal point for border security, migration, labour flows and human rights violations against migrants. Its geographical, historical, legal, fiscal and economic peculiarity, which has been socially constructed and has changed in recent years, invites us to analyse why the border between the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla can be defined as a legal, diplomatic and economic space. Through the qualitative method and based on the constructivist approach within international relations, we investigate how Spain's entry into the European Community, changes in legislation, atypical border trade flows and diplomatic relations between Spain and Morocco construct the concept of border, beyond the traditional notion of border as the mere separation of two sovereign states. The evidence from this study shows that a better understanding of the challenges of security, migration, and labor movements of the Spanish-Moroccan border would result from framing the border as a legal, diplomatic, and economic space rather than as a traditional border. It is concluded that this study helps to fill a gap in the literature, in addition to serving as a reference for future scholars who wish to construct a comprehensive and complete border theory. |
