Abstract

CAVALCANTI, Mariana. From a shack to a house: time, space, and value(s) in a consolidated family. Rev. bras. Ci. Soc. [online]. 2009, vol.24, n.69, pp.69-80. ISSN 1806-9053.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-69092009000100005.

The article consists of an ethnographic analysis of the favela consolidation in contemporary Rio de Janeiro, understood here as a result of the juxtaposition of two seemingly contradictory socio-historical processes: (1) the replacement of favela removal programs by urbanization programs and projects, giving rise to a recent construction boom in the favelas and to an unprecedented commoditization of their space; (2) the appropriation of the space of the favelas by the drug trade, which (re)produces and reinforces the physical, social, and symbolic boundaries between the favela and the so-called "asphalt." This context is explored through a conception of the house as a total social fact: the transition from the stucco shack to the masonry house (increasingly converted into a "fortress") renders the space of the favela and particularly of the house as process, future project, and a source of value, both economic and subjective.

Keywords : Favelas; Urban space; Home; Value; Ethnography.

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