The seminar “Re-Mapping Borderlands” invites a collective reflection on these issues, fostering a dialogue between theoretical perspectives rooted in critical cartography and operational and technical approaches that intertwine descriptive, interpretative, and imaginative dimensions. Through contributions from international guests and experts, the seminar will delve into the maps-power-action nexus, examining cartographic representations both as tools for shaping knowledge and governance of cross-border territories and as performative practices that claim possibilities for intervention in contested and frontier spaces.

The event’s primary objective is to encourage a shared reflection on the potential of cartographic representations as instruments of resistance, imagination, and concrete action.

The seminar is structured into two complementary yet autonomous sessions. In the morning session, Prof. Henk Van Houtum (Radboud University Nijmegen) will present his book Free the Map. From Atlas to Hermes, a new cartography of borders and migration (nai010 Publishers, 2024) in dialogue with researchers and professionals from the fields of urban planning and design cultures. In the afternoon session, a roundtable discussion with international experts will explore different approaches to cartographic practices and tools in border contexts.

The seminar will also include an interactive debate session, encouraging audience participation both in person and remotely.

The seminar is part of the research project Italian Borderscapes after 2020. Mapping, Unfolding, and Re-framing Border Territories in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, and co-funded by CRAFT, the Competence Center on Anti-Fragile Territories at the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DAStU) at Politecnico di Milano.

The seminar is curated by Alice Buoli, Isabella Traeger, and Valentina Rodani (DAStU, Politecnico di Milano).