The Centre for International Borders Research (CIBR) is an interdisciplinary centre for empirical, comparative and theoretical study of international borders and border regions. Based at Queen's University Belfast, it builds on Ireland's advantages for border study and the research interests of a core group of academic staff from the disciplines of anthropology, geography, political science and sociology.
Professor Liam O'Dowd, email, School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work Founding Director of CIBR and Professor of Sociology, Liam O’Dowd’s research interests and publications include the subject of state borders and border regions in the European Union. Professor O’Dowd led the CIBR input into an EU FP6 project EUDimensions on civil society co-operation across the external borders of the enlarged EU.
Professor Hastings Donnan, email, School of History and Anthropology Professor of Social Anthropology, Hastings Donnan is interested in comparative anthropological approaches to state borders and has carried out ethnographic fieldwork on borders in Ireland and Pakistan, looking particularly at the intersections of nation, ethnicity and religion. His work in Ireland explores the experiences and views of Protestants on both sides of the border, while in Pakistan his research has focused on the line of control in Kashmir that separates Pakistan from India. His research has been funded by the EU, ESRC and the HEA.
Dr Cathal McCall, email, School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy. Senior Lecturer in European Studies, Cathal McCall’s research interests include EU involvement in promoting cross-border co-operation to a conflict transformation end in the Irish border region, compared with its approaches to other ‘conflictual cross-border regions’ inside and outside the EU. He leads the CIBR input into the EU FP7 EUBORDERSCAPES project.
Dr Katy Hayward, email, School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work Lecturer in Sociology, Katy Hayward’s research interests include the influence of European integration on cross-border co-operation and peace-building, particularly on the island of Ireland. She was previously a Research Fellow on the EU FP5 EUBorderConf project on the EU and border conflicts.