BORDER BUILDING AS A BIDIRECTIONAL PROCESS. THE CASE OF SOUTH AFRICA

Traditionally, borders are conceived as "lines on the map", geographic elements that delimit states more or less clearly and stably. In this logic, it is considered that borders separate social identities and delimit the activity of social actors, in a vertical process that goes from above (the State) downwards (the population). However, a more careful examination reveals that this conception is insufficient to understand the dynamics of the current world. In recent years, it has been pointed out that it is more appropriate to understand borders as elements that are constructed from broader social practices that will not only be determined by the State, but involve numerous social actors through multiple ways. The article explores this conception of borders as elements in continuous construction, through the study of the South African case.