National Borders as Contact Zones: Questioning a European Cohesion

After the Schengen Agreement entered into force in 1995, most of the old internal checkpoints, in particular the peripheral ones, remained abandoned and out of service. Still their presence allows viewers and occasional passers-by to find significant traces of a recent history of political, economic, and social fragmentation. Ignacio Evangelista's series of photographs "After Schengen" moves from a very personal experience to show this reality. Borders separate homogeneous landscapes, introduce unnatural fractures to mark domains, create antagonisms and hostilities that sharpen right along the territorial margins. Checkpoints are guarded thresholds, points of contact, transit, exchange. Through an analysis of Evangelista's photos, the contribution offers a reflection on the power of agency bording crossings holds and their impact in the construction of a European cohesion.