This book is about life and communication in borderlands, particularly in Northern and Eastern Europe. What does a boundary mean to those living near it? Does it protect them against the alien and unkown, or is it a barrier to contacts? How do the different legal codes on the two sides of the boundary affect the local cultures?

How has life in Europe's borderlands changed in the last 10-15 years, when Western Europe has undergone integration while fragmentation has characterised Eastern Europe? How will the inclusion of some of the small new states into European Union influence people on the borders?