The Tangled Borders: Female Experiences of Violence and Care

Abstract

This chapter summarizes and discusses the central themes and objectives of this book, explaining how “ultra-intensity patriarchy” materializes in the everyday lives of Paraguayan women in the Paraná Tri-Border Area (between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay), shaping their experiences of mobility and care. It argues that the condensation of gender inequality and violence in these border territories configures them as spaces where patriarchy presents itself with heightened intensity. It also introduces the feminist approach that frames the volume, stating the authors’ commitment to bringing border women’s experiences to the center of the analysis. Therefore, their value for local families and communities is emphasized, highlighting how their lives produce (and are produced by) multiple-scale power dynamics. Furthermore, the chapter introduces the ethnographic case study carried out among transborder Paraguayan women, describing its methodology and the qualitative strategies applied to approach their life histories. Finally, it offers a synthesis of the content found in the following chapters, inviting readers to travel across the gender boundaries in the Tri-Border Area.