The Central European Service for Cross-border Initiatives (CESCI) published its newest book with title, 'Changes in the Representation of a Borderscape'. The book was first published online at the end of 2017, but the printed version was finalised with changes and re-edition in April 2019. The book mainly focuses on a specific border area between Hungary and Slovakia centred around the cities of Esztergom and Štúrovo. This border space has been implementing cross-border cooperation for a decade. 

Articles of the volume apply four different research methodologies, namely semi-structured in-depth interviews with local authorities on both sides of the border; quantitative approach of traffic counting and questioning of the passengers who crossed the Mária Valéria bridge; mental mapping, revealing of mental thinking and imaginations about the borders and border issues; and finally desk research, study and critical reflection of the existing literature.

The chapters of the volume look at the following topics and issues, like the appearance of border effects as polymorphous phantom limitations and their restrictive influence in the 21st century; national narratives, collective identity and self-perception of the Hungarian and Slovak nation; administrative changes from the 19th century, separation of the region through border structure, evolvement of euroregional cooperation and the Ister-Granum EGTC; hinterland areas of the twin-city, Esztergom and Štúrovo; linguistic and ethnic border changes and shifts during the last two decades; Ister-Granum region within the recent historical process of European integration and the institutionalisation of cross-border cooperation; analysis of the interviews through content analysis, identification of key phrases and application of tag cloud software; exploration of traffic trends across the Mária Valéria bridge between the border cities of Štúrovo and Esztergom; and finally mental borders, images of the mind and mental re-definition of the existing surroundings in Slovakian and Hungarian cities.

The volume aims at unfolding the changes of borderscaping around the twin cities since the re-inauguration of the Mária Valéria bridge in 2001 and, through this, providing a potential new approach to assessment of territorial impacts of a cross-border investment.

(In the external link you can find the on-line version published in 2017 which was re-edited sometimes with major changes in 2019. The new version is available in printed version for free of charge at CESCI: cesci@cesci-net.eu.)