University of Richmond to Host Conference on Border Walls

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — University of Richmond will host a conference that explores border walls from around the globe and their impact on migration, citizenship, peace, and the communities and landscapes that they are built through.

The conference, “Walls, Borders, and Partitions in a Global Perspective,” will take place at University of Richmond in the Richmond Room on February 28, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public.

University of Richmond faculty, alongside members from various institutions will lead discussions centered around the impact of border walls around the world and how they intensify socio-economic inequality, restrict access to resources and social services, and foster a cycle of division, mistrust, violence, and fatalities. 

“After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 only 15 countries had border walls, but as of November 2017, over 70 walls separated nations and states, 50 of which were constructed following September 11, 2001,” said Patrice Rankine, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. 

The conference is a part of the School of Arts & Sciences 2019-2020 themed programming, “Contested Spaces: This Ground” which features contemporary conversations about how localized issues and concerns play out across time and space.

“Thoughtful conversations around complicated topics, demonstrate how our disciplines can address societal challenges and how together, as a community, we have the tools to better ourselves and the world around us,” said Rankine.  

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