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Abstract: „This article deals with border-crossing and the experiences of “temporal otherness” of residential migrants who move their home from Luxembourg to the German side of the River Moselle. Research on temporal borders is highly influenced by a particular spatio-political relation: the West creating its underdeveloped other and coping with this other by controlling border-crossing, which in turn results in maintaining the idea of the other’s temporal remoteness. The Luxembourgish–German border region offers a complement to this perspective; here, one encounters migrants who move in the opposite temporal direction and appreciate certain forms of “being behind” in their new place of residence. These migrants must cope with divergences, i.e., with the fact that economic and socio-cultural conditions within their new socio-spatial universe, the cross-border region, have evolved differently. This article argues that the analysis of migrants’ memories is illuminating with respect to the question of the moral legitimacy of moving, and thus regarding the conception and everyday construction of cross-border communities. It sheds light on the fact that borderland research—by focusing on national differences and related conceptions of cross-border mobility and exchange—tends to ignore borderlanders’ notions of (regional) unity and related claims for convergence.“

Abstract: „This article proposes to study the depth of border areas not only based on border employment, an indicator very often used to delimit the area where interactions on either side of the border are strongest, but by adding to it the inhabitants’ feeling of proximity to the border. The use of the feeling of proximity adds a more subjective dimension to the spatial definition of the border area, with residents using their own representations to choose whether their location is close to the border. The results obtained show the border area to be a blurred geographical space made up of a core, where trade is intense with the neighbouring country, and fringes marked by greater uncertainty about belonging to the border area and extending well beyond the traditional delimitation. These fringes are nonetheless interesting because they have a specific relationship with the neighbouring country due to their greater distance from the border and the existence of less frequent border practices carried out in different ways.“

Abstract: „During and immediately after the First World War the Belgian government developed plans to annex parts of the Netherlands after the war, such as the province of Limburg. How did industrialists in the capital Maastricht respond to these Belgium goals? In this article, I explore the perspectives of an industrialist, a state detective and an economist in this matter. The industrialist was a fierce opponent of annexation, while the state detective was convinced that annexionists, those who were in favour of annexation, should mainly be found among major industrialists. The economist, on the other hand, did not rule out the possibility that some of Maastricht’s traders and industrialists would prefer a connection with Belgium. How did they come to these conclusions and to what extent did their considerations and other sources provide an answer to the research question of this article? Taking both gossip and facts into account, we may conclude that indeed there could have been traders and industrialists who supported the Belgian aspirations and preferred to join Belgium. However, the general claim that, in Maastricht especially, major industrialists were in favour of annexation lacks any factual evidence.“

„Borders engender cultural and socio-political interaction between states. Especially in border regions, issues of nationality and identity sharpen in times of political tension. As early as 1933, for instance, Limburg faced strong influence of the rising National Socialist Third Reich, partly because of the many thousands of German migrants - ‘Rijksduitsers’ - who lived and worked there. Fierce propaganda and intimidation had to activate these so-called ‘Volksgenossen’, but in addition, the Limburgers, as ‘race-Germans’, also belonged in this Reich, according to Berlin. They had strayed from Deutschtum and had to be reclaimed with the use of propaganda. This early invasive socio-political influence process – a clear prelude to the occupation years ‘40-45’ – is examined in this article from German and Dutch sources. What was the impact on the daily lives of border residents, who traditionally fostered close ties with neighbours across the border? To answer this question, this article presents new cross-border regional research in the periphery of Limburg as a contribution to the broader historiography of Dutch WWII-history.“

Abstract: „Die Autoren, ein Politikwissenschaftler und ein Geograf, untersuchen als assoziierte Forscher und Fachleute für territoriale Planung und Governance das Konzept des territorialen Zusammenhalts. Sie tun dies zunächst mit Hilfe mehrerer europäischer Beispiele durch eine vergleichende Analyse der auf der Ebene der Staaten durchgeführten Politiken und unter Berücksichtigung ihrer geohistorischen Besonderheiten. Anschließend wird dieselbe Frage des territorialen Zusammenhalts in einem grenzüberschreitenden Kontext untersucht, indem die Großregion, die vier Länder im Herzen Europas in einer einzigartigen Form des Regierens vereint, als Analyseraum herangezogen wird. Dabei wird analysiert, inwiefern Planungskulturen und territoriale politische Systeme Faktoren der Kohärenz oder auch der Inkohärenz in Bezug auf die territoriale Entwicklung darstellen können.“

Abstract: „Based on the example of the Grande Région (Greater Region), this research note retains a systemic approach to the cross-border area and focuses on trade and consumption in this territory. It defines this space as a trade system in a border zone made up of actors (national and/or foreign distributors, consumers), places (sales outlets of varying size) registered in a territory, and practices (consumption practices, implementation strategies) that are in interaction. Four points are discussed. First, distance to the border is questioned, leading us to compare actors’ perceptions with the actual distance. Second, we examine the links between work, mobility, and consumption. The third section focuses on individuals as consumers and underlines the importance of psychological, sociological, and cultural variables. Finally, a focus on retailer strategies underlines the need to take into account specificities for the implementation of commercial strategies. This research note invites us to conduct further research on trade in the cross-border space by outlining the framework of a research agenda.“

Abstract: „De 1900 à 1914, environ 10 000 religieux français fuient la France et ses lois anticongréganistes et s’installent dans un pays limitrophe, la Belgique. La majorité d’entre eux se positionne le long des lignes de chemin de fer et à proximité de leur pays d’origine, sur la frontière franco-belge. Facile à franchir, administrativement et matériellement parlant, elle leur offre la possibilité de maintenir des liens avec la France et de reprendre leurs activités. Des écoles de religieux masculins s’installent dans le Hainaut ou la province de Namur et font venir des élèves de France, des sœurs reviennent quotidiennement à Lille ou Roubaix pour continuer leur apostolat, etc. Dans l’autre sens, cette facilité de franchissement permet à des supérieurs, des évêques, des officiers ou parlementaires catholiques de venir les visiter et leur témoigner leur soutien. Ainsi, certaines localités frontalières se retrouvent saturées de religieux français, comme Tournai, Virton ou Mouscron. Cette surreprésentation conduit à des passes d’armes parlementaires dans les deux pays, et même à des récriminations de catholiques belges, craignant la concurrence française. Cette situation perdure jusqu’à la première guerre mondiale, qui voit de nombreux religieux retourner dans leur pays, à la faveur d’une suspension des lois les concernant.“

Abstract: „The financial literacy of citizens has become a major issue over the past decade in many developed and underdeveloped countries. The notion of financial literacy is, however, multidimensional, and in this study it is defined as a set of financial knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors. We also explain the relevance and importance of financial literacy for individuals and society, and its main determinants. We show why the financial culture of French cross-border commuters working in Luxembourg is theoretically likely to evolve due to their position as cross-border commuters in Luxembourg. We present the results of a questionnaire that we administered in order to assess the financial culture of citizens from Lorraine (Moselle, Meurthe et Moselle), both cross-border workers and non-cross-border workers. The results indicate no difference between the two groups in terms of financial attitudes and behavior. However, cross-border residents have less financial knowledge and skills, which we explain by a cultural differentiation between the two.“