Public perceptions of the favelas in Rio de Janeiro: a post World Cup 2014 and pre 2016 Olympics Assessment

This research assesses public perception of the favelas of Rio de Janeiro following the awarding of the bids for both the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. In preparation of these mega sports events, Rio has been challenged to improve infrastructure, build Olympic venues and reduce crime in the favelas. The purpose of the research is to collect data on the perceptions of potential visitors to Brazil, specifically, Rio de Janeiro to determine if the preparation for and hosting of the mega sports events is changing the image of the favelas

Transforming informal communities through discourse intervention:RioOnWatch, favelas and the 2016 Olympic Games

In August 2016, tens of thousands of journalists descended on Rio de Janeiro to cover the summer Olympic Games held in that city. While the majority covered the action on the track, many sought stories about the city itself, world famous for startling inequality at close quarters. Catalytic Communities, and a non-governmental organisation which has worked with favela residents for years aimed to capitalise on this attention through their RioOnWatch project, an online news site providing detailed coverage of events in favelas across the city, in both English and Portuguese. The NGO also worked with numerous journalists who visited Rio de Janeiro to help them understand and accurately report on the complexities of the Olympic city. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Rio, this chapter traces RioOnWatch’s attempts to transform the discourse around favelas during this moment in the global spotlight, seizing this political opportunity. In essence, RioOnWatch is involved, with other social movement actors, in a discursive contest over the power to define favelas. This is aimed at undermining the logic of harmful policies including pacification and forced evictions

Utopia and the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro

Utopias from ancient times to the present have come and gone. They remain as a part of literary, philosophical and historical texts and communal practices. Yet this subject has never ceased to inspire contemporary minds as well. My aim in this paper is to consider the communities known as favelas that have formed on the edges of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro as a contemporary form of utopian community. The paper begins with a brief analysis of the concept of utopia. Then follows a discussion of the Favela as an urban utopia as seen from the perspective of Latin American philosopher Enrique Dussel’s philosophy of liberation as represented in his book, The Philosophy of Liberation. The remainder of the paper will consider in what sense the Favela settlements can be understood as a form of utopia. Among additional sources for this paper, I will refer to the research on the favelas by such scholars as Janice Perlman and Catalytic Communities. Other sources will include art projects in the favelas, the novel and film City of God made on site, and photographs of Miguel Rio Branco taken in the Favelas. All of these artists’ representations reflectactual experiences of life in the Favelas. An underlying question throughout will be the role that art might play in understanding utopias

Parsing the Urban Poverty Puzzle A Multi-generational Panel Study in Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas, 1968–2008

This paper describes the methodology of a longitudinal multi-generational study in the favelas (shantytowns) of Rio de Janeiro from 1968 to 2008. Major political transformations took place in Brazil during this interval: from dictatorship to ‘opening’ to democracy; major economic transformations from ‘miracle’ boom to hyperinflation and crisis, and to relative stability; and major policy changes from the removal of favelas to their upgrading and integration. However, despite the cumulative effects of these contextual changes, poverty programmes and community efforts, the favela population has continued to grow faster than the rest of the city and the number and size of the favelas has consistently increased over these decades.urbanization, Brazil, poverty, community, slums

O urbanismo entre a favela e o chique

As representações de territórios de favelas têm múltiplas camadas de significação. Neste post, Ann Deslandes discute as promessas e perigos de projetos ‘favela chic’, representações particulares e releituras de favelas na Anglofonia

Judicial Government

The study discusses sustainable development related to the urban poor in informal settlements. It includes also a case study of how the Municipality of Taboão da Serra, a city in the periphery area to SaoPaulo, work for upgrading the favelas. It discusses issues such as which strategies for slum upgrading that are used and which philosophical theories the upgrading projects are related to. The study is based on literature studies and a two and a half month long field study at the municipal office at Taboão da Serra. During the field studies, a number of interviews and informal conversationswere held. Also visits to favelas and participation observations were made. The municipality has many projects aimed at upgrading the favelas. Many measures are about a better infrastructure and physical environment, for example waste management, land regularization andbetter roads. There are also measures both at municipal and national level to promote primary education. The municipality also runs programs to reduce unemployment. The upgrading projects have connectionsto both different kinds of utilitarianism and Rawls theory of justice

Sobre o impacto social e sua avaliação em organizações baseadas na favela

Não basta ter boas intenções para realizar intervenções sociais nos territórios de favelas. Neste post, Daniel S. Lacerda discute a importância de avaliar o impacto social em seu contexto, explicando por que as ONGs instaladas em favelas devem garantir que suas ações e objetivos correspondam às demandas do espaço onde atuam

City of God and Elite Squad: From Fatalistic Violence to Agency

Online resource, 14 pp., digital file.Brazilian favelas (slums)have become cityscapes of exclusion, with their precarious housing on unpaved pathways, overcrowded places stigmatized as shelter for the urban poor and for criminals. This paper analyzes how Brazilian favelas are depicted in two internationally known films: City of God (2002) and Elite Squad (2007). The works highlight a tension between fatalistic violence and agency which perpetuates stigma but have also become manifestos for social change

Deliberation across Deep Divisions. Transformative Moments

From the local level to international politics, deliberation helps to increase mutual understanding and trust, in order to arrive at political decisions of high epistemic value and legitimacy. This book gives deliberation a dynamic dimension, analysing how levels of deliberation rise and fall in group discussions, and introducing the concept of 'deliberative transformative moments' and how they can be applied to deeply divided societies, where deliberation is most needed but also most difficult to work. Discussions between ex-guerrillas and ex-paramilitaries in Colombia, Serbs and Bosnjaks in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and police officers and locals in Brazilian favelas are used as case studies, with participants addressing how peace can be attained in their countries. Allowing access to the records and transcripts of the discussions opens an opportunity for practitioners of conflict resolution to apply this research to their work in trouble spots of the world, creating a link between the theory and practice of deliberation