Closed Borders and the Open Society (Frank Wolff)

Can there be an open, liberal, democratic society behind closed borders? In this episode, Frank Wolff argues that erecting ever higher walls and implementing violent border regimes has a corrosive effect on democracy and rule of law in the societies these measures are allegedly meant to protect.

Frank Wolff leads the research group "Internalizing Borders: The Social and Normative Consequences of the European Border Regime" at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF: Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Forschung) at Bielefeld University. Together with Volker M. Heins, he recently published the book Hinter Mauern: Geschlossene Grenzen als Gefahr für die offene Gesellschaft ("Behind Walls: Closed Borders as a Danger for the Open Society", Suhrkamp 2023).