The fifth frontier: effects of the pandemic on the understanding of the territory

Abstract

In this essay we intend to show a set of discursive and administrative operations developed by the State of the Province of San Luis, in the Argentine Republic, during the first year of the pandemic produced by COVID-19. In particular, we will address the assignment of border quality to National Route No. 7 named by the government as the fifth border of the province. This highway crosses all of Argentina from East to West and articulates with the Via Panam, in Chile, linking the ports of Buenos Aires and Valparaíso. At the same time, the Province of San Luis is located at the midpoint of the journey of these two transport routes that
are part of the Pan-American Highway. The approach is made from the relationship between border, mobility and pandemic, taking as reference the theoretical proposals of Alejandro Grimson, Alejandro Benedetti and Pascal Ory. The analysis includes, on the one hand, a set of texts published by the San Luis News Agency, the official government communication body; on the other hand, it is considered a set of journalistic notes from various media. Finally, the claims of the inhabitants of neighboring cities, carriers and companies are collected in the face of the restrictions imposed by this local government.