The Global Border System and Illegal Markets in Peru Notes for a Research Agenda

This chapter discusses the characteristics of the Peruvian border system and their links to different illegal markets. Specifically, the work addresses the way in which borders – as a system and a space for the exchange of people, goods, and services, as well as for the location of activities and socio-territorial anchoring – relate to illegal dynamics, such as drug trafficking and smuggling. In the first section, the paper presents a state of the art regarding three topics that have been central to the debate on borders: sovereignty and territorial demarcation, urban and territorial dynamics in border areas, and legal, informal, and illegal economic dynamics in border zones. The second section identifies the main socio-economic characteristics of Peruvian districts in border areas and describes the dynamics of migration flows in those districts. The third part provides an initial approach to the characteristics of the Peruvian border system by focusing on the dynamics of three illegal markets: contraband, drug trafficking, and related crimes. Finally, on the basis of the reviewed information, the chapter presents some preliminary remarks for a future research agenda.