Le retour et la circulation  des énoncés hygiénistes comme médiateurs du projet urbain : de São Paulo à d’autres métropoles

Abstract

The presence of people with extremely modest – may be without – incomes in the “historic” centers, emblems and memories of the cities, in a process of aesthetic improvement for several decades in Latin America, has caused the return of a speech of territories' governance ripe with hygienist connotations. Those who are threatened by all kinds of precariousness, see themselves as victims and see behind this speech the sword of eviction. This article tries to put in perspective the difficult encounter between the vocabulary of urban modernity and that of stigmatization. It relies on a “paulist episode” but also claims to observe this confrontation in other cities of Latin America.

Keywords

• poverty
• hygienism
• city center
• aesthetic improvement