With the recent 15th anniversary of the tragic September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, many Canadians living in the immediate vicinity of the border are reminded of their changed relationship with their communities, government officials and their American neighbours.

Everyday border life, crossing and national belonging in Ontario’s Niagara Region are examined in Brock University’s Sociology Professor Jane Helleiner’s new book Borderline Canadianness: Border Crossings and Everyday Nationalism in Niagara (2016, University of Toronto Press). The book offers a unique perspective on how post-9/11 changes at the border were experienced by local border residents.

“The idea of pursuing research on border life began when I moved from Toronto to Canadian Niagara in the early 1990s. At that time, I was immediately struck by the salience of the Canada/U.S. border as new neighbours and colleagues offered information about going ‘over the river’ to the U.S. for shopping and leisure activities,” says Helleiner.

Using an ethnographic approach, Helleiner conducted 51 qualitative interviews and an extensive review of the local press to explore the everyday lives and identities of those living at the territorial border and their pre- and post-9/11 border experiences.

Key findings from the research highlight the complexities of borders and nationalism and the reproduction of inequality through unequal cross-border mobilities in a globalized world.

“Despite extensive border crossing histories, border residents remained deeply invested in varied constructions of ‘Canadianness’ with very limited embrace of bi-national hybridity, even by those with dual Canadian/U.S. citizenship,” says Helleiner. “Another important finding is that border residents had a lot to say about how crossings were filtered in classed, gendered and ethnoracialized ways.”

Borderline Canadianness explores the patterns of “filtered bordering” and how it can further establish classed, racialized, gendered and globalized inequalities by facilitating the cross-border movement of some while constraining the movements of others. The research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the book publication was supported in part by the Council for Research in the Social Sciences (CRISS), Brock University Advancement Fund’s Special Purpose Grant and Brock University’s Department of Sociology.

Helleiner’s book has already received praise from scholars in the fields of border and migration studies and will be celebrated at the joint book launch with Education Professor Susan Tilley’s published book, Doing Respectful Research: Power, Privilege and Passion (2016, Fernwood Publishing) on Sept. 27 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Welch Hall Atrium at Brock University. All are welcome to attend.