"Jane Helleiner has written a thoughtful and engaging book that brings to the fore the lives and voices of people living in Canada, in close proximity to the Canada-US border. Borderline Canadianness is a carefully researched and analysed work that is well written, insightfully analysed, and rich with data." -- Alison Mountz, Canada Research Chair in Global Migration, Wilfrid Laurier University and Balsillie School of International Affairs "Jane Helleiner's Borderline Canadianness is a much-needed case study of the Canadian borderlands from a sociological perspective. It is one of the few such studies worldwide that is based on concrete data on young people as they have experienced the pre- and post-9/11 security changes." -- Thomas Wilson, Professor of Anthropology, Binghamton University "Borderline Canadianness is a rich and perceptive enthnography that utilizes state-of-the-art research on securitized borders. It is a major contribution to its field." -- Josiah Heyman, Director of the Center for Interamerican and Border Studies and Endowed Professor of Border Trade Issues, University of Texas, El Paso

Canada and the United States share the world’s longest international border.  For those living in the immediate vicinity of the Canadian side of the border, the events of 9/11 were a turning point in their relationship with their communities, their American neighbours and government officials. 

Borderline Canadianness offers a unique ethnographic approach to Canadian border life. The accounts of local residents, taken from interviews and press reports in Ontario’s Niagara region, demonstrate how borders and everyday nationalism are articulated in complex ways across region, class, race, and gender. Jane Helleiner’s examination begins with a focus on the “de-bordering” initiated by NAFTA  and concludes with the “re-bordering” as a result of the 9/11 attacks. Her accounts of border life reveals disconnects between elite border projects and the concerns of ordinary citizens as well as differing views on national belonging. Helleiner has produced a work that illuminates the complexities and inequalities of borders and nationalism in a globalized world.

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"Borderline Canadianness is meticulous in all its particulars. Helleiner is rigorous in her review of relevant literature, in how she uses it both in constructing the interview grid and analyzing her results, and in highlighting key findings."