ABSTRACT
The frontier has an enduring place in the popular imagination with various literary and cinematographic accounts portraying the mystique of “civilization's” encounters on the fringe with indigenous peoples, pristine and abundant lands and adventurous characters. Frontier expansion has occurred throughout human history and accounts for the human occupation of nearly all habitable parts of the planet. From the outset, it is important to recognize that the term “frontier” represents differing realities and evokes conflicting meanings. B. Feuer has summarized the contribution of several authors on the characteristics of frontiers, portraying them as dynamic social networks, covering large geographical areas, where culturally diverse societies are in contact. J. Martins envision the frontier as an area marked by three well-defined domains: the demographic frontier, the economic frontier and the expansion front. Global perspectives on frontiers largely emanate from scholars working with the World-System theory of development.
