In/visibility: exploring the representation and agency of borderscapes beyond the seen

Journal title TERRITORIO
Author/s Nicoletta Grillo, Luca Gaeta
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2024/111
Language English Pages 10 P. 154-163 File size 295 KB
DOI 10.3280/TR2024-111014
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The article examines how visibility and invisibility intertwine in borderscapes, shaping them as sites of inclusion, exclusion, and negotiation. Drawing on the non-binary concept of ‘in/visibility’, it combines a literature review with ?eldwork on the Swiss Italian border. It examines in/visibility as both an analytical tool for border studies and a strategy in border work, particularly in cross-border dynamics, migration control, and resistance. The study unpacks its role in contrasting scenarios, where in/visibility is instrumental to surveillance and silencing, or counter-representations and self-protection. It argues that deconstructing visual stereotypes and embracing the traces of in/visible practices can open the path to multisensory dimensions that challenge dominant border representations.�

Keywords: borderscape; in/visibility; traces

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Nicoletta Grillo, Luca Gaeta, In/visibility: exploring the representation and agency of borderscapes beyond the seen in "TERRITORIO" 111/2024, pp 154-163, DOI: 10.3280/TR2024-111014