La favela Vila Autódromo : façonnement et délitement d’un haut lieu de la résistance urbaine à Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

From 2010 to 2016, some of the inhabitants of Vila Autódromo- a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro threatened by the evictions linked to the construction of the new Olympic Park - got mobilized against the destruction of their living space. By analyzing the discourses, practices and experiences of space produced by some residents and conveyed by the media and external social movements, we seek to understand how residents managed to turn the area into a "symbolic space" of urban resistance in Rio de Janeiro and to temporarily establish a balance of power with the municipality. Taking into consideration the neighborhood’s reputation, the authorities first refrained from brutality and arbitrary repression - unlike in other favelas – and rather used more insidious means. They proposed material and financial negotiations on an individual basis - which divided the inhabitants - and used daily coercion in order to break up local solidarity and exhaust the inhabitants, encouraging them to leave.

Keywords

• evictions
• urban social movement
• symbolic space
• Rio de Janeiro