This project explores the interconnection between epidemiological containment measures and the development of the modern state and the international state systems, as exemplified in the development of borders in South-Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century. The project seeks to show that after the last major plague epidemics, measures to contain infectious diseases were essential factors in the development of the idea of modern borders, the emergence of the modern state and even the international system.

The research questions it examines are

• How did attempts at sanitary control impact the emergence of borders between countries?
• What were the unintended consequences of control actions upon the perception and practice of borders?

The research methods used in this project are discourse and content analysis of diplomatic sources, cross-referenced with public records and statements, and historical analysis of known facts from a fresh perspective.

Additionally, it draws attention to the importance of the South-Eastern European region as a crucial factor in European developments from the late early modern period onwards.