Os bolivianos em Corumbá-MS: Conflitos e relações de poder na fronteira

Abstract

Through ethnographic studies conducted since 2009 in Corumbá, in the Brazil-Bolivia border, I seek to unravel some aspects of power relations that become more visible through the analysis of social conflicts between Brazilians and Bolivians. To organize the main issues involved in this research, the article is divided into three parts. In the first part, I will discuss the intersections between nationality and ethnicity as criteria for classification at the border and the pejorative representations of Bolivians produced on the Brazilian side. In the second part, I discuss the work strategies of Bolivians in Corumbá in the informal economy, relating ethnicity and nationality with job opportunities and forms of social organization. Finally, the last part of the paper seeks to understand the social effects of the progressive delegitimization of Bolivians on the Brazilian side, manifest in political control and surveillance at the border, and through the criminalization of informal work practices.