Bottom-up Geopolitics and Everyday Brexits at the Gibraltar-Spain Border

Abstract

Brexit has opened doors for renewed attention to contested, multi-scalar geopolitical forces grounded in everyday life in borderlands. In this paper, we aim to unravel 'everyday Brexits' in the Gibraltar-La Línea (Spain) borderlands. By studying the 2019 commemoration of the historic 1969 border closure, we concentrate on how local borderwork by residents is mobilised for bottom-up geopolitics in the context of Brexit negotiations. We use a conceptual approach that focuses on multiple layerings of the border and the selectivity of stakeholders to select among these layers to pursue their interests. Based on on-site observations, in-depth interviews, and informal conversations with residents and key actors of La Línea and Gibraltar, we argue that Brexit has increased the tension of already loaded core-periphery relations in Spain. Brexit does not represent a sudden disruption. Rather, we show how Brexit allowed the bottom-up geopolitical mobilisation of latent, strongly historically embedded and continuous cross-borders sentiments of residents. This mobilisation could potentially challenge local cross-border power relations. In the final analysis, we conclude that the bottom-up geopolitics of 'ordinary' residents through everyday bordering processes is central to geopolitics research, including with regard to Brexit and in particular for non-British geographies affected by Brexit.

Spanish geography at contemporary times. State of the question (1972-2022)

“…Ceuta is the object of study of Poulaki et al (2020), who analyse the possibilities of cross-border movements linked to tourist activity. Finally, Gibraltar is also a case that generates great interest, as shown by Bono and Stoffelen's (2020) analysis of everyday practices in the Gibraltar-La Línea borderlands in times of Brexit.…”

Managing people’s (in)ability to be mobile: Geopolitics and the selective opening and closing of borders

“…Brambilla & Jones, 2020;Hyndman, 2012;Mitchell & Sparke, 2020;Moisio, 2015) and daily life sphere (e.g. Bono & Stoffelen, 2020;Routledge, 2003;Rumford, 2012) perspectives.…”

“…I specifically zoom in on how mobility inequalities are confirmed within the European Union (EU) to protect the geopolitical and political‐economic status quo of the EU itself, but also how this EU‐level process fuelled internal discussions regarding the relation between nation‐state sovereignty and EU‐level decision‐making. The interrelations between borders and geopolitics has received attention from several perspectives, including securitisation (e.g., Cunningham, 2009; Huysmans, 2006; Jones & Johnson, 2016), embodied (e.g., Brambilla & Jones, 2020; Hyndman, 2012; Mitchell & Sparke, 2020; Moisio, 2015) and daily life sphere (e.g., Bono & Stoffelen, 2020; Routledge, 2003; Rumford, 2012) perspectives. Nevertheless, further meta‐level theorisation of, and comparison between, the differential geopolitical framing and institutionalisation of several forms of border‐crossing contributes to our understanding of the tension between global flows of people and continued territorial regulation.…”