Borders in Latin America: Cultural and Geopolitical Representations in Contemporary Streaming Series

The expansion of Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) platforms has reshaped the representation of national histories within transnational media landscapes. This article examines how these series construct Latin American borders as both geopolitical sites of control and symbolic spaces of identity negotiation. Focusing on Narcos: Mexico and La Reina del Sur, the study employs qualitative textual analysis and visual semiotics to analyse how narrative form, dialogue, and visual composition produce distinct meanings of border space. The analysis draws on Stuart Hall’s theory of representation and Michel Foucault’s concept of power-knowledge to examine how discursive regimes shape the visibility and interpretation of the ‘narco’ world. In addition, Gloria Anzaldúa’s notion of the borderland and Wendy Brown’s concept of ‘walled states’ provide a framework for understanding the interplay between sovereignty, mobility, and hybridity. The findings demonstrate that Narcos: Mexico constructs a securitarian vision of the border through authoritative narration and institutional framing, while La Reina del Sur reimagines it as a fluid and negotiated space through mobility of its female protagonist. The article argues that these series do not simply represent borders but actively participate in reconfiguring them, oscillating between reinforcing dominant stereotypes and enabling alternative subjectivity within a global media context.