Uncommon Experiences: Sharing Borders in Contemporary Europe

Are the ways in which Europeans share borders exceptional? How do people's experiences of crossing borders differ? What do we know about the present-day Schengen Zone and the European Union in relation to Europe's past? What might the future hold? What might the future look like?

Three esteemed scholars from different disciplines talk about various aspects of Europe's borders, both internal and external, and how they relate to questions of migration.

Watch the recording of our discussion titled “Uncommon Experiences: Sharing Borders in Contemporary Europe”, featuring Ettore Recchi (Sciences Po), Julia Buyskykh (University College Cork), and Jan Musekamp (GHI Warsaw), chair: Andrew Tompkins (GHI Warsaw).

The discussion was part of the international conference 'Border Matters' of the Max Weber Foundation (4-6 May, 2026), organized by the German Historical Institute Warsaw.

The conference focused on border spaces as social, material, and political spaces. Several presentations explored the significance of borders for the body, the environment, and infrastructure. Topics included historical and contemporary perspectives on border demarcations, border experiences, as well as border crossings.