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The contemporary social sphere is not the smooth, open space vaunted by those who sing the praises of telecommunications without borders and mobility for all. Borders, boundaries, barriers and limits are appearing everywhere, sometimes in older reactivated forms, sometimes in new and previously unknown ways. In this context, individuals are increasingly faced with the test of crossing boundaries. This article explores the question, offering a new concept, that of crossing spatial boundaries, and identifying the political implications entailed by the increasing ubiquity of barriers to access.