Un puente en la zona transfronteriza: representaciones sociales, identidades y conflicto. El caso Posadas-Encarnación.

The economic and territorial transformations which have occurred in the context of the process of integration of Mercosur have had a particular impact on border areas, where the populations of member countries come face-to-face. The inauguration of a bridge, with consequent customs and legal reforms, has changed the way of life on the Argentinean-Paraguayan border. The bridge that unites the Argentine city of Posadas with its Paraguayan neighbor of Encarnación has been, since 1992, the scene of transnational social demonstrations involving both the Paraguayan and Argentinean populations. The objective of the present article is to analyze the social representations and identity claims generated on the Argentinean-Paraguayan border through the study of the written press of both countries. We would like to place particular emphasis on the operational symbolic borders generated by each society, as well as on the notions of identity, not only in relation to the "other", but also to the central power, that is, the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]