Abstract

MARDONES, Pablo. Interaction between migrants and indigenous people under the border control regime in Colchane (Tarapacá, Chile). Alteridades [online]. 2025, vol.35, n.69, pp.83-96.  Epub Aug 25, 2025. ISSN 2448-850X.  https://doi.org/10.24275/cmoy4963.

The objective of this research is to analyze the interactions between international migrants and Aymara communities on the Chile-Bolivia border based on the implementation of a border control system. Unlike research that has focused on events linking international migration to the role of the State in border control, the focus of this approach -in an unprecedented way- is on identifying the link between Indigenous peoples and migrants. The methodology involved a strategically situated ethnography between 2020 and 2021 which included participant observation, interviews, and archival research. The research concludes that the dynamics of cooperation between indigenous people and migrants diminished with the massive number of clandestine migrations. Additionally, the research shows that the militarization of the border did not reduce illegal human influx, but rather was a strategy to convey a message of reassurance to the national public.

Keywords : Chile-Bolivia border; Aymara; international migration; strategically situated ethnography; cooperation; secrecy.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )