Are Borders More Easily Crossed Today? The Paradox of Contemporary Trans-Border Mobility in the Andes
2006; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 12; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1080/14650040601031065
ISSN1557-3028
Autores Tópico(s)International Relations in Latin America
ResumoAbstract In a globalised world, borders are commonly said to be loosing their 'fencing' function and allowing more flexibility of all kinds. This process can either be viewed as the cause or the consequence of the development of all kinds of circulations (goods, capitals, ideas, people). A closer analysis reveals that this phenomenon is commonly not as new as it appears, since borders have seldom been really impermeable. In Latin America, the historical process of border design over a very sparsely populated territory confirms this trend and a closer analysis of the southern Andes context reveals indeed that the closing up of international boundaries is quite recent. This paradoxical historical data helps explain both the current geopolitical map of the region (which is far more complex than the juxtaposition of inter-state conflictive relations) and the status of differentiated mobility control in the evolution of borderlands. 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