The Opening Up of the Favela, an ethnographic study on locality in the 'pacified' favelas in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The ‘pacification’ of the favela Complexo do Alemão in Rio de Janeiro has caused many changes in the everyday lives of the residents. A territory that used to be occupied by drugs gangs is now being (re-)taken by the Brazilian state through the occupation by the army, in order to increase security in these areas, as part of a larger pacificiation project in the run to the World Cup and the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro (2014/2016). This thesis investigates locality in a territory that is 'opening up', through an ethnographic study conducted in Complexo do Alemão in 2011. The presence of the army not only means the replacement of a local power and the eviction of the drugs gangs, but also the imposition of the state’s laws and rules, the entrance of the market (criminalization of informality) and an increasing attention by NGOs and cultural/social projects. The favela becomes increasingly popular as a potential market for private companies as well as for reporters, researchers and the implementation of social projects.