Contested borders: organized crime, governance, and bordering practices in Colombia-Venezuela borderlands

Based on the conceptualizations of organized crime as both an enterprise and a form of governance, borderland as a spatial category, and borders as institutions, this paper looks at the politics of bordering practices by organized crime in the Colombian-Venezuelan borderlands. It posits that contrar...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: García Pinzón, Viviana (Author) ; Mantilla, Jorge (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2021
In: Trends in organized crime
Year: 2021, Volume: 24, Issue: 2, Pages: 265-281
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Keywords:
Organisiertes Verbrechen
Grenze
Grenzgebiet
Einflusssphäre
Politische Geografie
Herrschaftssystem
Space
Political geography
Borderlands
Organized Crime
Kolumbien
Venezuela
Colombia
Description
Summary:Based on the conceptualizations of organized crime as both an enterprise and a form of governance, borderland as a spatial category, and borders as institutions, this paper looks at the politics of bordering practices by organized crime in the Colombian-Venezuelan borderlands. It posits that contrary to the common assumptions about transnational organized crime, criminal organizations not only blur or erode the border but rather enforce it to their own benefit. In doing so, these groups set norms to regulate socio-spatial practices, informal and illegal economies, and migration flows, creating overlapping social orders and, lastly, (re)shaping the borderland. Theoretically, the analysis brings together insights from political geography, border studies, and organized crime literature, while empirically, it draws on direct observation, criminal justice data, and in-depth interviews.
ISSN:1936-4830
DOI:10.1007/s12117-020-09399-3