Lives that matter

For an agenda of citizenship and non-violence in Rio’s favelas

Abstract

In recent years, political and economic crises in Brazil and in Rio de Janeiro halted several social programs and advances that spurred various forms of violence against the country’s most stigmatized and marginalized citizens. Favelas, which experienced a brief moment of social, economic and spatial inclusion, due to important social inclusionary public policies, are suffering again with different forms of rights violations, which undermine the building up of the right to the city formulated in the last decades. However, despite the obstacles and the feeling of no hope, we believe it is possible to reflect upon the recent advances and setbacks in order to think about possible paths to inclusion and citizenship. This paper aims to contribute to the debate about an urban agenda based on the principle of non-violence and in the consolidation of citizenship, with a reflection about the expansion of powers generated by new (possible) forms of democracy and, nevertheless, new alternatives for the (re)construction of the right to the city in Brazil. We argue here that, in this sense, favelas present themselves as places of resistance, activism and transformation, in which inhabitants fight for rights and visibility. Our analysis are based on the radical democracy and planning theories, seeking to reflect upon the new paths of citizenship and the right to the city amidst this contemporary political and paradigmatic transition.