After continuous years of disappearing borders, globalisation and ever more seamless travel, recent years have seen a resurgence of the importance of borders, not just outside of Europe but also within.
GX11 1AA is a publication about Gibraltar, the British overseas territory at the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula. Long the subject of disputes, and often very much at the periphery of British politics, Gibraltar has more recently found itself at the centre of post Brexit negotiations.
‘More British than the British’ is how Gibraltar has often been described by some, including by British parliamentarians and some of its inhabitants. Yet, that tells only part of the story. Some of this Britishness is in fact a more recent development, often associated with symbolism of yesteryear, such as ubiquitous red post boxes, the omni presence of pubs and a cobbled high street. Still, once you start to go back in history and you begin to scratch under the surface, a picture emerges that shows the reality of a place that is far less black and white, and much more nuanced. A tiny strip of land, defined by the rock, in which every inch matters. It is also a place that would not exist in its current form without its neighbour, and vice versa. The lived realities along this border are complex.
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