The Channel

The waters separating the south coast of England from the north coast of France have helped to define relations between the two countries for centuries. However, as Renaud Morieux argues in this work, these relations have been characterised almost exclusively by rivalry, conflict and contestation between the two states. Morieux’s book sets out to correct that two-dimensional interpretation and to present a more rounded and nuanced view of the Channel that foregrounds exchange, co-operation and co-existence. His thesis is persuasive: borders cannot be conceived simply as lines or divisions that separate states absolutely; instead, border zones need to be seen as complex social spaces that encourage exchange and facilitate entanglement. In the case of the Channel, communications could be quicker, cheaper and more efficient between places on opposite sides of the water than between them and their inland hinterlands: Calais is half as far from London as from Paris, for instance

Calais · Channel (broadcasting · Economics · Geography · Interpretation (philosophy · Linguistics · Rivalry · Telecommunications · Computer Science · Engineering · Historical Studies of British Isles · History · Philippine History and Culture · Philosophy