Borders: Drawing the Line? – Tim Marshall

Tim Marshall in conversation with Philip Seargeant

Tim Marshall’s bestselling book, Prisoners of Geography, argues that physical geography – the landscape in which we live – helps determine where political borders lie, how secure they are, and how communities and states act in relation to one another. The book was republished last year in a revised and updated version to take account of the crucial role that disputes over borders have played in global politics over the past decade.

In this event, Tim is in conversation with Prof. Philip Seargeant from the Open University to discuss why borders are still such a live issue in today’s globalised, interconnected world – and how geography can perhaps help us understand the rise of populist politics.

About Tim Marshall

Tim Marshall is a leading authority on foreign affairs with more than 30 years of reporting experience. He was diplomatic editor at Sky News, and before that was working for the BBC and LBC/IRN radio. He has reported from 40 countries and covered conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Israel. He is the author of the No. 1 Sunday Times bestsellers Prisoners of Geography (the illustrated edition of which was shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year), The Power of Geography and The Future of Geography, as well as Divided; Worth Dying For, and Shadowplay.

More about Tim:

X: @itwitius 

About Philip Seargeant

Philip Seargeant is Professor of Language and Communication at the Open University. He has written and edited several academic monographs, textbooks and collections on topics ranging from political storytelling to global English and the language of social media. His most recent books are English Language: The Basics (Routledge, 2026) and The Future of Language (Bloomsbury, 2023). He is academic consultant for Radio 4's Word of Mouth, and has won multiple awards for his short films on language and communication.

More about Philip:

Web: philipseargeant.com

About the Borders Series

Whether they’re on our maps or in our heads, borders shape how we see the world – and how the rest of the world sees us. This new series, in collaboration with the Open University, asks leading writers and thinkers to explore borders in all their literal or more abstract forms: geographical and political, cultural and linguistic, visible and contested. Across five events – four online and one in person – our speakers will examine how borders are drawn, crossed, defended and imagined, and how they affect lived experience in a world that is simultaneously increasingly interconnected and yet ever more divided.

From global power lines and shifting nations to intimate questions of belonging, migration and identity, the series invites us to think beyond maps, headlines and stereotypes, providing thoughtful and humane discussions about how borders are created, and about how they can be navigated and challenged.