Die Grenze als Methode, oder die Vervielfaltigung der Arbeit

This essay must be read as the outline of a wider research and writing project we are currently involved in. At stake in our work is the proliferation of borders in the world today and the multi-scalar role they play in the current restructuring of working lives. In a way, we are trying to recast the expanding field of 'border studies' moving beyond the overwhelming concern for issues of security and identity" or, to be more precise, to reframe the very analysis of these issues from the point of view of the crucial role that borders play in the production of the deeply heterogeneous space and time of global capitalism. It is in this framework that we engage in a rethinking of Marx's concept of labor-power and in a critical discussion of the concept of 'international division of labor'. But we also try to contribute to the ongoing discussion on translation in cultural and postcolonial studies.