From a geographical mountain to mountain geographies. A social geography analysis of the Chilean Andes

Abstract

Ever since the establishment of national boundaries, the Andes have been defined as a “natural” and uninhabited space that determines where one country ends and another begins. The following paper examines the socio-discursive framework regarding the function of the Chilean Andes as a natural barrier between Chile and Argentina. This natural border has led to hidden socio-spatial processes that occur around the Andes, emerging from various social spaces or “mountain geography” areas which, combined, form a highly complex and dynamic territory.