My fascination of political borders is founded on both personal and
professional experiences. I grow up at the Finnish-Swedish border, having
the border river as my backyard playground. Some of my classmates travelled
to the school every day from the Swedish side, and we regularly crossed the
border for hobbies and leisure. I also heard stories about how during the
Lapland War (World War II) my mother evacuated across the border to the
Swedish side where her aunt lived. In that way, the border was present in
multiple times, in past and present. Later in life I have learned that not
all borders are the same and many people are unable and afraid to cross
borders.
Nowadays I see my childhood at the peaceful northern European
border as a privilege. Many mundane experiences and interactions at the
borderland as a youth have also gained different meaning and vocabulary.
Borderlands are simultaneously familiar and unknown, and continuously in
change. B-Shapes is a great opportunity for me to continue studying the
meaning of borders in the lives of people from theoretical and empirical
perspectives, together with a group of experts from different European
countries.