Association for Borderlands Studies

Founded in 1976 with the original emphasis on the study of the United States-Mexico borderlands region, the association has grown steadily.

It now encompasses an interdisciplinary membership of scholars at more than three hundred academic, governmental institutions, and NGOs representing the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe.

Contemporary issues dealt with by the ABS include regional economic integration, the emergence of new post-Communist nation states, the proliferation of ethnic conflicts, security versus openness of borders, and the need to institutionalize management of trans-boundary problems ranging from immigration to shared environmental problems to public health and economic development concerns.

The association also publishes a newsletter, La Frontera, that reports on ABS meetings, professional news, and other information of interest.

The ABS sponsors an annual meeting, which provides a forum for a wide range of topics on border regions around the world.