Border Mythogenesis

Résumé

Colonial borders are not only lines on maps. They are jurisdictions that distribute protection, movement, land access, and political voice. When state capacity is uneven and historical literacy is thin, border disputes become ignitable through narrative operations that convert ambiguity into mobilizable certainty, often accelerating coercion or proxy violence. This paper models that ignition pathway as Border Mythogenesis (BM): a codeable set of claim motifs (restoration, priority, othering, delegitimation, and security laundering) that predictably intensify under specific conditions.