Open AccessCross-border Life in an American Exclave: Point Roberts and the Canada–US Border
Author(s) -
Pierre-Alexandre Beylier
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
borders in globalization review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2562-9913
DOI - 10.18357/bigr22202119617
Subject(s) - face (sociological concept) , point (geometry) , identity (music) , order (exchange) , geography , regional science , genealogy , sociology , economic geography , political science , history , social science , aesthetics , business , philosophy , geometry , mathematics , finance
By applying a theoretical framework based on different models proposed in border studies literature, this article analyzes the morphological, functional, institutional and identity characteristics that make Point Roberts—an American exclave in the Pacific Northwest—a “cross-border town”. Using an online survey and face-to-face interviews, the author combines both quantitative and qualitative research methods in order to examine the forces that link Point Roberts and the Canadian city of Delta that lies across the Canada–US border. This paper highlights the specificities of this unique geographic configuration as well the challenges that the border represents.