The concept of nation is not only, as is often assumed, related to states but to the people who feel that they belong to a community based on a common identity, wherein language and culture are often emphasized as something that knit people together. History, as well as contemporary experience, reveal the notion that state nationalism tends to oppress local languages and cultures. However, in a cultural nation interpretation, all national minorities, while being citizens of their state of domicile, are per definition not members of the majority nationality. By claiming membership of the minority, individuals are given exclusive rights such as protection of customs, language and religion while, of course, being free to choose either assimilation or a combination of both. One dilemma of cultural nationalism is the relationship between autochthonous minorities and immigrant groups. Among individuals with a possible otherness in relation to the nationalized state is their choice of identity: otherness, total assimilation into the majority, or a twin identity. Nationality is not a digital attribute – identities can be split and shared in multiple ways – a conclusion which is argued for in this article.

The creation of trans-border regions, as a reality or as a symbol, has to overcome state territorial indoctrination, because the names given to areas are often defined by the extent of influence of each state. Border studies encompass a wide range of scholarship, ranging from legal studies of demarcations and territorial rights to the study of border narratives and symbols, formal cross-border cooperation, and the actual spatial behaviour of borderland inhabitants. Where territorial states are in juxtaposition, differences between the jurisdictions have led to a hierarchical asymmetry that produces discords. The period 1989– 1991 marks a sudden and profound change in the political geography of Europe. The birth, rebirth, and disappearance of territorial states led to a totally new situation of borders, both in their demarcation and in their degree of openness, and the sudden transformation of boundaries into international borders had profound impacts on cross-border transactions. The present political map of Europe hides a palimpsest of earlier territorial divisions, some forgotten, and others brought to memory by irredentist interests or by nostalgic tourists. Even after the eradication of the “east” and “west” dichotomy (or the move eastwards of the divide), many border-related issues remain. The relaxation of border controls in the Schengen Area has led to new developments. “Sleeping abroad and working at home” is a tendency in several borderlands, reflecting differences in the availability of housing and job opportunities in the adjacent states, but this also creates problems with taxation and the right to social services and education, even in areas with a common language.