The Sanctity of Balkan Borders

The Map-Making and Map-Using Process Following World War I

תקציר

In this paper, I explore the map-making and map-using processes of the social scientists and diplomatic communities immediately following World War I in order to expose the mystical foundation of the authority to which they lay claim. To do this, I draw on the thoughts and methods of Jacques Derrida. In particular, I use Derrida’s notion of deconstruction to reveal the binary relation that political maps reinforce or create between a perceived situation on the ground and its re-presentation on the map. Deconstruction allows me to explain how the borders of the state, rather than the people they are meant to re-present and house, are considered sacrosanct and worth fighting for.