Poverty on Display: Cirujeo in the City of Buenos Aires (2002-2007)

Abstract

From an ethnographic perspective, this paper will focus on analyzing how «cirujas» —as people collecting reusable materials from waste are— are readapting themselves to the current urban space in the city of Buenos Aires (Argentina), and how they confront stigmatizing social discourses. An account of theses uses and the strategies they formulate to face social differentiation they use to live with, to resist or coexist with stigmatizing stereotypes condemning them is provided. At the same time, by focusing on urban spaces with interacting groups from different socio-economic sectors, the idea of social segregation will be challenged, by showing these processes come along with new encounter modalities between the different social groups based on the realization of a differentiated use of public space.

Keywords

• cirujas
• cartonboard collectors (cartoneros)
• poverty
• stigma