Context: This autoethnographic & ad hoc project builds on visual fieldwork carried out during the 1st Covid lockdown, published as an academic comic. It is an ongoing attempt to make sense of borders, identity & the visual performances of statehood as a political geographer interested in feminist & open-ended creative methods (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2399654420933900)
Today’s walk started by revealing the invisible border through infrastructure.

We then came to border stone no. 52, in the setting sun. (This border was demarcated in 1815, so S is for Savoie, G is for Geneva). We followed the edge of a field, looking for the next one, following the line indicated on the top.
(Methodologically, I love how the injunction to label the image makes me think about it more consciously & mindfully compared to in previous threads!)

With the help of an online map by the Swiss mapping agency (SwissTopo), we found the next border stone no. 53, semi-buried, with just the G (for Geneva) showing, perhaps when the French built the new sporting complex next to the international border? We then headed home on our bikes as it was getting cold.

After the double fun of flu & Christmas, both spent in a cloud of brain fog, it was good to get out to continue our delightfully erratic border walk. Rather confusingly, we started at border stone no. 1, the “other” first one, this time on the right bank. Double border stones, at the tripoint of the Canton de Vaud & Canton of Geneva (both 🇨🇭) touching France (🇫🇷). The Geneva one dates back to 1818, Treaty of Paris. #Geography #Borders #BorderWalk #SlowScholarship

The Geneva/Vaud cantonal border is historically significant, as it used to be the international Swiss border before the Treaties of Paris & Turin extended the territory of Geneva & joined it to the Helvetic Confederation (“Switzerland”). We were amused to see that some of the old border stones remain, now marking an internal (cantonal) border. #Geography #Borders #BorderWalk

We continued our walk along the Versoix river, meeting border stone number 2 along the way, set in a wall. We were amused by a sign on the French side, explaining that when the border was redefined, the inhabitants of the village of Sauverny living on the left side of the river had to join a foreign country “without any choice in the matter”. No laughing matter, obviously, but it seemed to be implied that they were leaving civilisation behind… #Geography #BorderWalk

We followed the river for about an hour, enjoying the wintry landscape and beautiful woods. There were no more border stones along there, as the 🇨🇭🇫🇷border follows the middle of the river for a good stretch. We wandered slowly, stepping over muddy patches, enjoying the delightful intersection of #borders, #mosstodon #lichensubscribe, rather than the normal frozen ground of a usual December. It was 10C (i.e. much too hot…)! #Geography #Borders #BorderWalk