One of the smugglers I interviewed several years ago explained: “They [the authorities] are constantly after us. We are not alone; boats, trucks, airplanes, terminals, trains, and many other things collaborate with us. Without them we cannot be smugglers.” It may appear that the smuggler harnesses these vehicles to facilitate mobility; in truth, however, their different material or visual capacities actually determine the scale, speed, place, and time of smuggling. Without existing objects, everyday practices, and infrastructures, smuggling would not be possible. The forger is often portrayed as a master genius – an artist using their skills for the “wrong” reasons. In reality, the genius of smugglers and forgers is realized not in the magical skill of imitation, but in the ability to reconfigure existing objects, technologies, and practices of mobility in ways that generate new, unanticipated pathways for those deprived of them. Indeed, the smugglers’ practice of reconfiguration may well be one of the more urgent and significant techniques in the struggle against borders.
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