Woman traders and cross-border circuits: Articulations between care and mobility on the borders of Peru, Bolivia and Chile

Cross-border trade is predominantly conducted by women, and involves the movement and articulation of extensive networks for the circulation (formal or not) of products. Engaging with the perspectives of mobility and gender in border studies, this article examines the configuration of cross-border circuits of women traders. The article demonstrates how commercial activities and caregiving are intertwined in these circuits and discusses this overlap through four socio-spatial arrangements: home, places of sale, border crossing and supply locations. The research is based in two Peruvian cities with border conditions—Tacna (bordering Chile) and Puno (bordering Bolivia)—and involved 62 semi-structured interviews with women engaged in various commercial activities in 2022-2023, primarily second-hand clothing and groceries. These activities are part of a global chain of merchandise circulation that closely links the three countries (Bolivia, Chile, and Peru).