Beyond Borders

Europe is a geographical expression — a peninsula of peninsulas on the western edge of the Eurasian landmass — but there has never been a settled definition of its physical limits. Rather, historians, writers and politicians have long referred to a set of shared histories — conquest by the Romans, Christianity, the Enlightenment and democracy — that unite Europeans conceptually. By definition, most404 Not Found

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nginx/1.14.0 (Ubuntu) of those categories are constantly in flux. Indeed, contemplating the changes in Europe since Time began publishing here 60 years ago, it’s striking how many of the biggest shifts have taken place on levels that have nothing to do with physical or political geography. Events inside Europe’s borders — the decline of communism, the huge increase in the Muslim population, the boom in low-cost air travel — have contributed at least as much to Europe’s self-definition as have, for example, the shifting lines on a map that mark the expansion of the European Union.

The frontiers that seem most important at one time shrink into insignificance at another. The demarcation between Western and Eastern Europe took on paramount importance during the cold war, but especially since 2004, when 10 nations, mostly of the old East bloc, joined the E.U., that line seems increasingly less relevant. The end of colonialism, too, has changed what Europe means. On the one hand, European nations have seen an influx of those from lands that Europe had colonized — bringing with them traditions and religions to which many Europeans were not accustomed. On the other hand, Europeans are connecting with old colonial territories in a new way: thousands of French people, for example, are choosing to live in Africa every year, and creating a hybrid culture that challenges the physical idea of Europe.

And so, yes, our special issue on Europe’s New Frontiers captures geography. But we’ve also cast a spotlight on the frontiers that define Europeans today. Where is the line between a group of people who choose to live together — with or without children — and a family? How far should European governments go to make their Muslim citizens feel at home — and what does that mean for the line between church and state? Such questions, we hope, challenge today’s Europeans to eradicate the most dangerous of all frontiers — that between a closed mind and an open one.