Imaginarios geográficos en torno a la franja fronteriza de Tarapacá: El Estado y los habitantes/ migrantes

The construction of multiple geographical imagery around the bordering regions of Tarapacá questionsthe concepts of “methodological nationalism”, which has characterized studies about political borders in South America. We define the border through the different actors that share diverse and tense representations of this space, formed also by a historical cross-border coexistence that preceded the formation of the nation-states. Due to that, we surmise that the habitants of the Tarapacá border negotiate a series of practices and identities, maintaining a certain reference to their national ones. From this perspective, we sustain that national and cross-border elements coexist in a complex way, redefining the territory, and registering in daily practices marked by informality and the constant border activity. These coexist with nationalpractices, channelled through a discourse that is strengthened by border security issues, and the view of the border as a limit to be safeguarded.