The Metamorphosis of Marginality: Four Generations in the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

This article is based on a four-generational study of residents in three squatter communities (favelas) in Rio de Janeiro from 1968 to 2003. It shows how the marginalization of the urban poor has deepened over the past thirty-five years through drug-related violence, the failure of democracy to deliver on its promise of voice for the disenfranchised, the stigma of place and race, the increase in unemployment, and the inability to translate educational gains into concomitant income or occupational gains. Despite significant improvements in consumption of collective urban services, household goods, and schooling, few have been successful enough to move into “good neighborhoods” or into professional jobs. Gang violence creates a pervasive sense of fear and diminishes the social capital of the communities. Despite the promise of the end of the dictatorship in 1984, favela residents feel they are more excluded. Yet they still have hope that their lives will improve in the future.

Globalization and the Urban Poor

“…It is reassuring that our results (Perlman 2006(Perlman , 2007(Perlman , 2008 are corroborated by the much larger studies on inequality in Brazil using census data and household surveys (PNAD) and creating matched cohorts in different years as a proxy for following the 8 same individuals. Recent publications such as the excellent work of Bourguignon, Ferreira, and Menéndez (2003); Gacitúa and Woolcock (2005);and Ferreira et al (2006) support the validity of our findings (and visa versa).…”

A Visual Critical Ethnography Of Youth Development In A Rio de Janeiro Favela

“…A few of the participants talked about efforts to avoid discrimination using certain clothing, or acting a certain way (i.e., Felipe, Gão, Maiquinho, Nicolas, Rodrigo). This agrees with the discussion that Perlman (2006) contributed to favela youth spending much or all of their income on clothing and products that help them appear to be middle class residents of the asfalto. Maiquinho expressed anger and frustration at the thought of discrimination and explained the mutable nature of There's always these antics.…”

“…A few of the participants discussed how Rio's favelas are excluded from societal participation and regular policing of criminal activity (i.e., Felipe, Paulo Vitor, Rafael). The increased marginalization of urban poor in Rio de Janeiro was the principal conclusion of Perlman (2006). Rafael described the difference in the levels of criminality that can be found in a favela and not in the asfalto.…”

Soil conservation in the 21st century: why we need smart agricultural intensification

“…There is no alternative for this evolution: despite all their problems, cities are the engines of modern economic development as they allow a population to create the added value that is so desperately needed through advantages of scale, intense interaction and exchange (Glaeser, 2011). This is the fundamental reason of the attractiveness of cities and the major factor explaining rural to urban migration: poor rural populations perceive the city as a place of opportunity and moving there as an opportunity to improve their own lives or at least those of their children (Perlman, 2006;Saunders, 2011). A consequence of this massive migration movement is that rural populations rapidly age and that the average farm worker is significantly older than the average non-farm worker (40 vs. 34 years in Africa, http://www.gallup.com/poll/168593/ one-five-african-adults-work-farms.aspx).…”