ABSTRACT
Visions of deepening globalisation, new postmodern, or even post-national global order have become the predominant interpretations of the post-Cold War political history in contemporary Europe. Lately, these visions have, however, been counterbalanced by discussions of re-securitisation and walling of borders as well as the rise of nationalism. In this process, borders have become crucial concepts, both as reflections and as objects of political transformation. Based on a material collected from the main Finnish national newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat, this chapter investigates the changing perceptions of borders focusing on the Finnish–Russian border. The chapter illustrates the contested nature of borders and as how, by whom and why the concept of a border has been used in Finnish political language. Analysis focuses on the key peaks of the major waves of discussion that are characterised by politicisation of the border concept. Through the conceptual analysis, this chapter identifies how the Finnish–Russian border has been politicised and used in post-Cold War debate. It shows how powerful political tools concepts are, and how contested conceptualisations of borders have been used for pushing forward political agendas and challenging the predominant discourses.
