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Drawing on theoretical debates in the field of both gender and border studies, this paper first looks at women’s living conditions in the easternmost rural areas of the Syria-Turkey border (Upper Jazira), as well as female agency through the observation of short-distance, cross-border mobility. Then, by adopting a decentered approach to history, the article analyzes to what extent border cooperation (used to deal with a wide range of issues affecting women) helps us understand not only how the law is implemented, but also how the complex processes of State formation operate within a context marked by persistent border disputes between Turkey and Syria.