Fuites frontalières entre le Guyana et le Venezuela : migrations et contrebande dans un village amérindien

Abstract

Based on fieldwork conducted in an Amerindian village in Guyana, located close to Venezuela, this article investigates how the border exists for local residents. Everyone is aware that the border, thick and porous, creates a differential between the two countries that motivates circulations and transactions, especially the migration of refugees from Venezuela, the smuggling of fuel, or the trade of food and other commodities. Such activities trigger rivalry and competition between the different actors involved. The local population is characterized by multiple forms of differentiation, and people who migrate between Venezuela and Guyana also move between two identity regimes: being Amerindian or not, being Venezuelan or Guyanese, do not hold the same meaning in all contexts. Finally, this article attempts to nuance a common argument : that people living in borderlands resist the imposition of borders by states. Those who reside in Guyana, including migrants, also want the border to act as a barrier, protecting them from the violence that currently affects Venezuela.

Keywords

• border
• ethnic identities
• migration
• cross-border
• transnational