Abstract
This article focuses on societal and cultural transformations that take place in the context of the process of regional integration in the case of Mercosur, and asks how these policies affect societal actors and movements as the policies of economic integration are advanced by governments and powerful economic actors from above. Rather than assuming a linear process of societal integration, the article explores how the Mercosur process is becoming a new framework for societal activities, implying a multiplication of international exchanges and contacts. Its analysis of the experience of border areas and of social movements suggests that the ongoing societal processes do not necessarily imply cooperation and integration. Often, new conflicts emerge, and the results may lead to strengthening, rather than to weakening, nationalisms.
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