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Favela: Four Decades of Living on the Edge in Rio de Janeiro
Janice Perlman wrote the first in-depth account of life in the favelas, a book hailed as one of the most important works in global urban studies in the last 30 years. Now, in Favela , Perlman carries that story forward to the present. Re-interviewing many longtime favela residents whom she had first met in 1969--as well as their children and grandchildren--Perlman offers the only long-term perspective available on the favelados as they struggle for a better life.
Perlman discovers that while educational levels have risen, democracy has replaced dictatorship, and material conditions have improved, many residents feel more marginalized than ever. The greatest change is the explosion of drug and arms trade and the high incidence of fatal violence that has resulted. Yet the greatest challenge of all is job creation--decent work for decent pay. If unemployment and under-paid employment are not addressed, she argues, all other efforts will fail to resolve the fundamental issues. Foreign Affairs praises Perlman for writing "with compassion, artistry, and intelligence, using stirring personal stories to illustrate larger points substantiated with statistical analysis."
Perlman discovers that while educational levels have risen, democracy has replaced dictatorship, and material conditions have improved, many residents feel more marginalized than ever. The greatest change is the explosion of drug and arms trade and the high incidence of fatal violence that has resulted. Yet the greatest challenge of all is job creation--decent work for decent pay. If unemployment and under-paid employment are not addressed, she argues, all other efforts will fail to resolve the fundamental issues. Foreign Affairs praises Perlman for writing "with compassion, artistry, and intelligence, using stirring personal stories to illustrate larger points substantiated with statistical analysis."
448 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2009
18 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 30, 2023
I had to read this for a class, whereas the rest of the texts were impossibly boring to read and far to economic, this book was a joy! I don't know how much I would like it outside of my course but I really enjoyed reading it and the stories were very interesting. I would sit down to read and it would feel like minutes later and I'd had read 30+ pages
July 8, 2011
Favela is a sociological triumph, the distillation of decades of experience in Favela of Rio De Janeiro, and an important book for anybody interested in urban living, State power, and the future of humanity. The majority of the population now lives in cities, and the fastest growing cities are the informal shanty-towns surrounding the old urban centers. This is where the bottom billion lives, outside the reach of government planning and oversight, and the ways in which survive will in large part shape the structure of society.
The body of the book is based on Dr Perlman's original work, a survey of life in the favelas in the late 1960s. By tracking down many of the original participants, and their children and grandchildren, she was able to accurately trace social mobility, success, and failure across generations. The results are surprising. Favelas are far from excluded from the fabric of the city, urban relocation programs have had some conditional successes, and legal title does not matter so much. Favela residents overwhelming believe in middle-class aspirations, and that their children will be better off than they are.
But more than the success of Favela residents, the real problems have been the growth of the drug traffic since the 1980s. Money, violence, and drugs harms everything in the city, from ordinary civilians caught in the crossfire, to teachers and nurses too afraid to travel to the favela, to local politicians bought and paid for by the drug lords. In Rio, the problem is exacerbated by militia of off-duty police and soldiers, who wage an indiscriminate war on drug dealers, funded through extortion.
The risk for the Favelas, and for similar informal cities, is that they slide from ungoverned zones to ungovernable zones. In a world awash in drugs, refugees, and sectarian hatred, it is far too easy for weakly administered zones to be taken over by criminals and terrorists. While Favelas never became wellsprings of Revolution, they provide a fertile breeding ground for bloody urban insurgencies.
The body of the book is based on Dr Perlman's original work, a survey of life in the favelas in the late 1960s. By tracking down many of the original participants, and their children and grandchildren, she was able to accurately trace social mobility, success, and failure across generations. The results are surprising. Favelas are far from excluded from the fabric of the city, urban relocation programs have had some conditional successes, and legal title does not matter so much. Favela residents overwhelming believe in middle-class aspirations, and that their children will be better off than they are.
But more than the success of Favela residents, the real problems have been the growth of the drug traffic since the 1980s. Money, violence, and drugs harms everything in the city, from ordinary civilians caught in the crossfire, to teachers and nurses too afraid to travel to the favela, to local politicians bought and paid for by the drug lords. In Rio, the problem is exacerbated by militia of off-duty police and soldiers, who wage an indiscriminate war on drug dealers, funded through extortion.
The risk for the Favelas, and for similar informal cities, is that they slide from ungoverned zones to ungovernable zones. In a world awash in drugs, refugees, and sectarian hatred, it is far too easy for weakly administered zones to be taken over by criminals and terrorists. While Favelas never became wellsprings of Revolution, they provide a fertile breeding ground for bloody urban insurgencies.
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April 25, 2017Dense and excellent. It's difficult to maintain coherence across something this long and all encompassing while keeping much more to an academic style of writing that a journalistic one, with copious use of statistics, theoretical structuring and in-depth methodological explanation, but it just about works. The result is endlessly multifaceted and impossible to reduce to one conclusion or approach. Things are better and they are not.
June 14, 2019
Not only I have read it, but had the chance to directly engage with Janice during a whole week (thank you Noman Foster Foundation) ... I can say that this book is the synthesis of a lifetime of work with Favela dwellers... Janice didn't just study it for afar but rather from within, and tracked the evolution of these dwellers along the years.
I haven't heard of a similar experience elsewhere so to me this remains an inspiring book and research for social scientists...
In her former book about the myth of marginality she has affirmed that there's no such a thing ad marginals, the people who live in favelas are among the best people, who are ambitious and want to change their lives for the best... This is of course to be apprehended in the context of the stigmatized view of favelas....
I think that I got out with a major idea about favelas/informal settlements as a whole and that is there is no other way to do things except informally, since there's obviously a huge delay between community needs and state afforded housing...
Many questions arise, and one that concerns me is about the UN resolution to eradicate slums by 2030... What's the alternative?
I haven't heard of a similar experience elsewhere so to me this remains an inspiring book and research for social scientists...
In her former book about the myth of marginality she has affirmed that there's no such a thing ad marginals, the people who live in favelas are among the best people, who are ambitious and want to change their lives for the best... This is of course to be apprehended in the context of the stigmatized view of favelas....
I think that I got out with a major idea about favelas/informal settlements as a whole and that is there is no other way to do things except informally, since there's obviously a huge delay between community needs and state afforded housing...
Many questions arise, and one that concerns me is about the UN resolution to eradicate slums by 2030... What's the alternative?
June 30, 2024
در گذشته در متون توسعه، مهاجران روستایی به عنوان ناسازگار با زندگی شهری و از این رو مسئول تهیدستی خود و ناکامی در راه یافتن به کار و بازار مسکن رسمی نگریسته میشدند. زورآبادها همچون زخمی چرکین بر بدنهی زیبای شهر، کمینگاههای جرم و تبهکاری و زمینه پرورش خشونت، هرزگی، فروپاشی خانواده و نابسامانی اجتماعی دیده میشدند. این که دوگانگی وضعیت فقرا و ثروت پیرامون آنها از ساکنان زورآبادها شورشگرانی خشمگین بسازد، هراسی برای راست و امیدی برای چپ شده بود. جامعه به جای اینکه زورآبادها را به عنوان بخشی از جامعه شهری به حساب آورد، به طور گستردهای آنها را دیگری مینامید و این انگ را دانشمندان علوم اجتماعی برای توجیه سیاستهای رایج زدودن فاولا گسترش میدادند؛ از این رو حاشیهنشینی از توصیفی ساده فراتر رفت و نیرویی ایدئولوژیک و سرنوشت ساز شد.
نگرشهای رایج درباره سکونتگاههای غیررسمی فرصت و مشروعیتی را برای سیاستگذاران فراهم میکرد که به بهانه حل مسئله و ایجاد راهحل، از پاکسازی سکونتگاههای غیررسمی برای سرمایهگذاری و زمینخواری استفاده کنند و صورت مسئله را پاک کنند. درحالیکه طبق نظر چارلز ابرامز آثار پاکسازی زورآبادها بیشباهت به زلزله نیست و تخریب بدون جایگزین مناسب، هیچ راه حلی برای جنبههای منفی سکونتگاههای غیررسمی به همراه ندارد.
نگرشهای رایج درباره سکونتگاههای غیررسمی فرصت و مشروعیتی را برای سیاستگذاران فراهم میکرد که به بهانه حل مسئله و ایجاد راهحل، از پاکسازی سکونتگاههای غیررسمی برای سرمایهگذاری و زمینخواری استفاده کنند و صورت مسئله را پاک کنند. درحالیکه طبق نظر چارلز ابرامز آثار پاکسازی زورآبادها بیشباهت به زلزله نیست و تخریب بدون جایگزین مناسب، هیچ راه حلی برای جنبههای منفی سکونتگاههای غیررسمی به همراه ندارد.
June 16, 2023
So crazy how she found the same families decades after she first interviewed them. By doing this, she was able to use qualitative and quantitative evidence to compliment rather than compete w eachother. I don’t qual and quan woven together well too often
August 10, 2012
While interesting, I was disappointed that there were fewer concrete conclusions that I had expected. It's also interesting how outdated some of the more recent information is, given the rapid changes in Rio. Also, this could have used better editing, particularly with the parts in Portuguese and some of the translated vocabulary in English. Definitely interesting, though there was very little information that was new or revealing.
January 22, 2021
My obsession with Brazil has been fed mightily! It is displeasing to know that in a land of abundance, there are millions with nothing. It seems that Perlman focused more on the issues than the people. I think the personal details of follow-up interviews were sparse. Nonetheless, it's still a country I'd like to visit.
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December 4, 2020As melhores coisas para fazer no Rio de Janeiro
Futebol, samba, carnaval, biquínis quase imperceptíveis em praias incríveis - o Rio lançou sua marca no mundo de forma natural. Por isso, quando viemos, tínhamos apenas que entrar no esporte e passamos a apostar usando apenas os melhores corretores em https://www.melhorescasasdeapostas.co...
Longe das areias agitadas de Copacabana e Ipanema, você encontrará grandeza dilapidada e arte de rua resplandecente em Santa Teresa, "Am I in Miami?" momentos nos shoppings e restaurantes chiques da Barra da Tijuca, e respirar no arborizado e afluente Jardim Botânico ou Gávea.
Ninguém dá uma festa como os cidadãos hedonistas do Rio, os cariocas, cuja irreprimível joie de vivre se derrama em festas de rua onipresentes, casas de show e no lendário carnaval anual. Da bossa nova lírica com influência do jazz ao samba acelerado, a música é a força vital desta cidade.
Embora não seja mais a capital do Brasil, sua abundância de museus, hotéis, monumentos nacionais e vida noturna sugere o contrário. Simplesmente inebriante, o Rio definitivamente merece seu apelido de "Cidade Milagrosa".
Museu do Amanhã
O que é isso? Um dos legados de maior sucesso das Olimpíadas de 2016, este museu de ciência inovador levanta grandes questões sobre o futuro da humanidade, dentro de um edifício neofuturista extraordinário.
Porque ir? Cobrindo tudo, desde geologia até sistemas nervosos humanos e cidades inteligentes, este está o mais longe de ser um museu empoeirado e seco. Exposições envolventes apresentam argumentos poderosos para a sustentabilidade. Parecendo flutuar acima da zona portuária regenerada, até a arquitetura é ecológica: alimentada por painéis solares e resfriada pela água da baía.
Pedra do sal
O que é isso? Conhecida historicamente como 'Pequena África', esta é a melhor área para mergulhar na vibrante herança musical do Rio.
Porque ir? Você está caminhando (ou, provavelmente, balançando) pelo berço do samba, criado pela comunidade escrava que morou aqui. Bandas ao vivo atraem multidões de amantes da música de perto e de longe - especialmente para as festas de rua gratuitas de segunda e sexta à noite. Barracas de caipirinhas baratas e arte de rua colorida contribuem para o clima do carnaval.
Feira Livre da Glória
O que é isso? O vibrante mercado de domingo de manhã de Gloria é um ímã para os gulosos obstinados.
Porque ir? Fora da rota turística, este é o lugar para provar os produtos frescos brasileiros, desde frutas exóticas (jabuticaba, quem quer?) Até peixes e cachaças artesanais, a aguardente nacional. Sente-se pior pelo desgaste depois de sábado à noite? O clássico café da manhã do mercado com pastéis - salgadinhos quentes recheados com carne, queijo ou palmito - e uma dose de puro caldo de cana é como o maná do céu.
Pão de Açúcar
O que é isso? Aqui está o tiro do dinheiro: esta cúpula natural coberta por árvores elevando-se a 1.299 pés acima do porto é um dos símbolos mais conhecidos do Rio.
Porque ir? A subida de teleférico ocorre em duas etapas - primeiro para o vizinho Morro da Urca, depois outra jornada íngreme até o Pão de Açúcar - enquanto os panoramas de cair o queixo de praias, arranha-céus e morros se desdobram abaixo de você. Glorioso a qualquer hora do dia, há algo extra mágico em estar lá para o pôr do sol, enquanto as luzes da cidade ganham vida.
Cristo Redentor
O que é isso? Você terá um vislumbre desta figura de 30 metros de altura por todo o Rio, mas não perca a subida ao Monte Corcovado para admirar a estátua icônica de perto.
Porque ir? Parado na base deste colosso de concreto, é difícil saber o que ficar boquiaberto: a façanha da engenharia do escultor francês Paul Landowski e do engenheiro brasileiro Heitor da Silva Costa, ou a vista aérea da cidade que se espalha abaixo. Chegue ao local através de um passeio panorâmico de bonde saindo do Cosme Velho.
Jardim botânico
O que é isso? Nem todas as maravilhas naturais do Rio estão em alturas elevadas - esses jardins de 140 hectares são um paraíso para mais de 9.000 espécies de plantas diferentes, criadas pelo Príncipe Regente do Brasil em 1808.
Porque ir? É o paraíso perfeito para relaxar depois dos tempos passados mais frenéticos e hedonistas do Rio. Entre as imponentes palmeiras imperiais, delicadas orquídeas e lagos com lírios amazônicos, os marsupiais residentes proporcionam entretenimento. Mantenha os olhos abertos para tucanos, tartarugas e preguiças também.
Palacio de Samba da Mangueira
O que é isso? Uma das escolas de samba mais antigas do Rio, com 19 prêmios de desfile em seu cinto de lantejoulas.
Porque ir? A preparação para a maior festa do mundo dura o ano todo, então experimente um pouco da magia do carnaval, mesmo quando visitar o Rio fora das celebrações anuais da Quarta-feira de Cinzas. A escola abre suas portas para apresentações noturnas regulares e oferece tours pelos bastidores de suas salas de prática e oficinas, onde as rotinas de dança são treinadas e os carros alegóricos são construídos.
O labirinto
O que é isso? Um clube de jazz único e próspero na favela Tavares Bastos.
Porque ir? O ambiente amigável e criativo aqui desafia qualquer preconceito das comunidades de favela. Relaxe no pátio ao ar livre com vistas épicas da Baía de Guanabara ou boogie dentro de casa com música ao vivo - suas lendárias noites de jazz acontecem na primeira sexta-feira do mês. O nome do local vem
Futebol, samba, carnaval, biquínis quase imperceptíveis em praias incríveis - o Rio lançou sua marca no mundo de forma natural. Por isso, quando viemos, tínhamos apenas que entrar no esporte e passamos a apostar usando apenas os melhores corretores em https://www.melhorescasasdeapostas.co...
Longe das areias agitadas de Copacabana e Ipanema, você encontrará grandeza dilapidada e arte de rua resplandecente em Santa Teresa, "Am I in Miami?" momentos nos shoppings e restaurantes chiques da Barra da Tijuca, e respirar no arborizado e afluente Jardim Botânico ou Gávea.
Ninguém dá uma festa como os cidadãos hedonistas do Rio, os cariocas, cuja irreprimível joie de vivre se derrama em festas de rua onipresentes, casas de show e no lendário carnaval anual. Da bossa nova lírica com influência do jazz ao samba acelerado, a música é a força vital desta cidade.
Embora não seja mais a capital do Brasil, sua abundância de museus, hotéis, monumentos nacionais e vida noturna sugere o contrário. Simplesmente inebriante, o Rio definitivamente merece seu apelido de "Cidade Milagrosa".
Museu do Amanhã
O que é isso? Um dos legados de maior sucesso das Olimpíadas de 2016, este museu de ciência inovador levanta grandes questões sobre o futuro da humanidade, dentro de um edifício neofuturista extraordinário.
Porque ir? Cobrindo tudo, desde geologia até sistemas nervosos humanos e cidades inteligentes, este está o mais longe de ser um museu empoeirado e seco. Exposições envolventes apresentam argumentos poderosos para a sustentabilidade. Parecendo flutuar acima da zona portuária regenerada, até a arquitetura é ecológica: alimentada por painéis solares e resfriada pela água da baía.
Pedra do sal
O que é isso? Conhecida historicamente como 'Pequena África', esta é a melhor área para mergulhar na vibrante herança musical do Rio.
Porque ir? Você está caminhando (ou, provavelmente, balançando) pelo berço do samba, criado pela comunidade escrava que morou aqui. Bandas ao vivo atraem multidões de amantes da música de perto e de longe - especialmente para as festas de rua gratuitas de segunda e sexta à noite. Barracas de caipirinhas baratas e arte de rua colorida contribuem para o clima do carnaval.
Feira Livre da Glória
O que é isso? O vibrante mercado de domingo de manhã de Gloria é um ímã para os gulosos obstinados.
Porque ir? Fora da rota turística, este é o lugar para provar os produtos frescos brasileiros, desde frutas exóticas (jabuticaba, quem quer?) Até peixes e cachaças artesanais, a aguardente nacional. Sente-se pior pelo desgaste depois de sábado à noite? O clássico café da manhã do mercado com pastéis - salgadinhos quentes recheados com carne, queijo ou palmito - e uma dose de puro caldo de cana é como o maná do céu.
Pão de Açúcar
O que é isso? Aqui está o tiro do dinheiro: esta cúpula natural coberta por árvores elevando-se a 1.299 pés acima do porto é um dos símbolos mais conhecidos do Rio.
Porque ir? A subida de teleférico ocorre em duas etapas - primeiro para o vizinho Morro da Urca, depois outra jornada íngreme até o Pão de Açúcar - enquanto os panoramas de cair o queixo de praias, arranha-céus e morros se desdobram abaixo de você. Glorioso a qualquer hora do dia, há algo extra mágico em estar lá para o pôr do sol, enquanto as luzes da cidade ganham vida.
Cristo Redentor
O que é isso? Você terá um vislumbre desta figura de 30 metros de altura por todo o Rio, mas não perca a subida ao Monte Corcovado para admirar a estátua icônica de perto.
Porque ir? Parado na base deste colosso de concreto, é difícil saber o que ficar boquiaberto: a façanha da engenharia do escultor francês Paul Landowski e do engenheiro brasileiro Heitor da Silva Costa, ou a vista aérea da cidade que se espalha abaixo. Chegue ao local através de um passeio panorâmico de bonde saindo do Cosme Velho.
Jardim botânico
O que é isso? Nem todas as maravilhas naturais do Rio estão em alturas elevadas - esses jardins de 140 hectares são um paraíso para mais de 9.000 espécies de plantas diferentes, criadas pelo Príncipe Regente do Brasil em 1808.
Porque ir? É o paraíso perfeito para relaxar depois dos tempos passados mais frenéticos e hedonistas do Rio. Entre as imponentes palmeiras imperiais, delicadas orquídeas e lagos com lírios amazônicos, os marsupiais residentes proporcionam entretenimento. Mantenha os olhos abertos para tucanos, tartarugas e preguiças também.
Palacio de Samba da Mangueira
O que é isso? Uma das escolas de samba mais antigas do Rio, com 19 prêmios de desfile em seu cinto de lantejoulas.
Porque ir? A preparação para a maior festa do mundo dura o ano todo, então experimente um pouco da magia do carnaval, mesmo quando visitar o Rio fora das celebrações anuais da Quarta-feira de Cinzas. A escola abre suas portas para apresentações noturnas regulares e oferece tours pelos bastidores de suas salas de prática e oficinas, onde as rotinas de dança são treinadas e os carros alegóricos são construídos.
O labirinto
O que é isso? Um clube de jazz único e próspero na favela Tavares Bastos.
Porque ir? O ambiente amigável e criativo aqui desafia qualquer preconceito das comunidades de favela. Relaxe no pátio ao ar livre com vistas épicas da Baía de Guanabara ou boogie dentro de casa com música ao vivo - suas lendárias noites de jazz acontecem na primeira sexta-feira do mês. O nome do local vem
November 1, 2025
Dust jacket hardcover
What a fascinating concept! Having a Jewish lady do an exploratory study of favelas, get kicked out of Brazil by Brazilian security services… out of sheer confusion of a foreigner living in the favelas, and then return 40 years later to interview families of the original participants. It’s basically a longitudinal study. Fascinating how wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few and one of the coping mechanisms to achieve social mobility is limiting children. One family shrank from 26 kids from one great grandparents to 8 kids from grandparents tô 1 kid from parents. Maybe income equality and equal living situation would ameliorate the situation
What a fascinating concept! Having a Jewish lady do an exploratory study of favelas, get kicked out of Brazil by Brazilian security services… out of sheer confusion of a foreigner living in the favelas, and then return 40 years later to interview families of the original participants. It’s basically a longitudinal study. Fascinating how wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few and one of the coping mechanisms to achieve social mobility is limiting children. One family shrank from 26 kids from one great grandparents to 8 kids from grandparents tô 1 kid from parents. Maybe income equality and equal living situation would ameliorate the situation
March 28, 2019
4.5/5 - Had to skim it for a class deadline, but liked this unique book. It’s a sequel to her earlier book. She went back and interviewed the same people in the same favela after 30 years. It was very impressively researches! Her argument is about rights of citizenship and who gets those rights in this Brazilian city. Scholars interested in Rio, in poverty, in Latin America, and in the poorer class’s right to personhood will enjoy this book.
July 17, 2024
Super graphic book but an absolute incredible story but the author. You feel like you’re experiencing life through her eyes while reading the chapters. This book has been heralded as the best look into what living in the infamous slums of Rio is like.
May 27, 2023
A pretty comprehensive, well-executed blend of urban research and insightful anecdotes of favela residents.
July 27, 2013
With "World Youth Day" taking place in Rio this week, and crowds of a million people gathering on the beach, I pulled this book out again. This is what I wrote when I first started the book:
This is an amazing book. I have read about half of it, but couldn't wait to post a review and my highest recommendation. Dr. Perlman, professor and founder/president of the Mega-Cities Project, shares the stories of people she has followed over four decades in the favela and conjunto communities of Rio de Janeiro (such as Nova Brasilia and Catacumba). For example, she tells the story of Ze Cabo, once the president of the Residents' Association in Nova Brasilia, and his extended family. Such multigenerational stories of people's lives also become the story of her life, doing the work of understanding, appreciating, and participating in the lives of Rio's urban poor, and communicating accurately and insightfully about them.
The word "favela" was only slightly known to me before. The evolving nature of these communities is explored with factual clarity (and documentation), with compassion and empathy, but never with sentimentalism. Yet Dr. Perlman's deep involvement with her life's work and those who have made it possible by opening their homes to her shines through every page, with passion and intense commitment. The section in her Introduction titled "Why I Love Favelas" may open your eyes and change your minds, if you have a preconceived notion of the towns blanketing the hills of Rio, away from Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. If you have a desire to better understand where the world is headed in the next century as our largest cities become "mega-cities," you could not find a better introduction to the heart of the matter.
This is an amazing book. I have read about half of it, but couldn't wait to post a review and my highest recommendation. Dr. Perlman, professor and founder/president of the Mega-Cities Project, shares the stories of people she has followed over four decades in the favela and conjunto communities of Rio de Janeiro (such as Nova Brasilia and Catacumba). For example, she tells the story of Ze Cabo, once the president of the Residents' Association in Nova Brasilia, and his extended family. Such multigenerational stories of people's lives also become the story of her life, doing the work of understanding, appreciating, and participating in the lives of Rio's urban poor, and communicating accurately and insightfully about them.
The word "favela" was only slightly known to me before. The evolving nature of these communities is explored with factual clarity (and documentation), with compassion and empathy, but never with sentimentalism. Yet Dr. Perlman's deep involvement with her life's work and those who have made it possible by opening their homes to her shines through every page, with passion and intense commitment. The section in her Introduction titled "Why I Love Favelas" may open your eyes and change your minds, if you have a preconceived notion of the towns blanketing the hills of Rio, away from Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. If you have a desire to better understand where the world is headed in the next century as our largest cities become "mega-cities," you could not find a better introduction to the heart of the matter.
April 18, 2016
This is a solid look at a longitudinal study of people in Rio favelas. Perlman provides both a clear description of methodology and results from her original work as well as results of the follow up research 30 years later.
Read this book if you want a good description of the process of urbanization as realized in Rio, the impact of governmental chaos coupled with indifference, deindustrialization, the cheapening of manual work, and the emergence of drug/criminal enterprise as a substitute for labor.
Recommended, particularly for those in the development business as a cautionary tale.
Read this book if you want a good description of the process of urbanization as realized in Rio, the impact of governmental chaos coupled with indifference, deindustrialization, the cheapening of manual work, and the emergence of drug/criminal enterprise as a substitute for labor.
Recommended, particularly for those in the development business as a cautionary tale.
October 6, 2011
Good crash course in history of Brazil as context for
development and status of Rio's favelas. The author's renewed
acquaintance and friendship with some favela families, 40 years
after she first interviewed them, sets up a rare chance to
see what has changed, and what has not, in these vibrant marginal
communities, through and beyond drastic political and economic
upheavals.
development and status of Rio's favelas. The author's renewed
acquaintance and friendship with some favela families, 40 years
after she first interviewed them, sets up a rare chance to
see what has changed, and what has not, in these vibrant marginal
communities, through and beyond drastic political and economic
upheavals.
December 6, 2012
I'm a fan of longitudinal studies - and this one doesn't disappoint. Except it does in that its very depressing to see how many of the original participants in Perlman's study ended up 30 years later. Perlman does a good job of weaving an interesting story with academic prose.
April 12, 2013
Great portrait of Rio, but a little disorganized, science-scarce, and full of typographical/editing errors. Not an anthropology fan.
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