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Contribution short abstract

The paper explores how Jennersdorf residents on the southeastern Austrian border navigate a state of peripheralization resulting from a socioeconomic & infrastructural disconnections, and redefine their cross-border sense of belonging through a wide set of local responses and networks of mutual aid.

Contribution long abstract

The southernmost district of federal state Burgenland (Austria), Jennersdorf, grapples with a sense of being "forgotten between borders." Limited infrastructural development and socioeconomic ties disconnect the region from its state capital, aligning it more with neighboring federal state Styria, Hungary and Slovenia. This perceived and actual marginalization fuels complex local approaches, often rooted in strong interpersonal networks and mutual aid, which this paper will explore.

Through ethnographic research and interviews conducted in 2024, the paper investigates how locals address infrastructural gaps. These strategies include on the one side, the rise of a local right-wing populist party and, on the other, the establishment of civil society organizations providing services like counseling, healthcare, and economic opportunities. Strategies are deeply embedded in historical infrastructural developments, geography, and socioeconomic networks within the region. The misalignment between political belonging, local perceptions and the role of local support networks shaped local approaches. They are further impacted by the influx of new residents pursuing an alternative lifestyle.

The paper contributes to discussions on "un/commoning the region" by revealing the complexities of borderland identities, where political and social geographies interact. It argues that Jennersdorf exemplifies the interplay of care and resistance, often manifested through interpersonal networks, in reshaping regional belonging amidst a changing sociopolitical landscape. It interrogates how natural environments, infrastructural policies, and economic networks contribute to regional solidarity or division, emphasizing the importance of mutual support in navigating these challenges. Furthermore, it considers how residents resist imposed regional narratives and craft their own understandings of belonging.