The Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric, is the international gateway for the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB). Eight departments, associated research institutions and the Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine in Oslo. Established in 1986, Noragric’s contribution to international development lies in the interface between research, education (Bachelor, Master and PhD programmes) and assignments. The Noragric Master theses are the final theses submitted by students in order to fulfill the requirements under the Noragric Master programme “International Environmental Studies”, “Development Studies” and other Master programmes. The findings in this thesis do not necessarily reflect the views of Noragric. Extracts from this publication may only be reproduced after prior consultation with the author and on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation contact Noragric. ©Aimê Lima Olaussen, September 2012 [email protected] Noragric Department of International Environment and Development Studies P.O. Box 5003 N-1432 Ås Norway Tel.: +47 64 96 52 00 Fax: +47 64 96 52 01 Internet: http://www.umb.no/noragric ii Declaration I, Aimê Lima Olaussen, declare that this thesis is a result of my research investigations and findings. Sources of information other than my own have been acknowledged and a reference list has been appended. This work has not been previously submitted to any other university for award of any type of academic degree. Ås, September 15th 2011 ……………………………….. iii iv Acknowledgement There are several people who have contributed to make this thesis possible, both in Norway and in Brazil. My deepest gratitude goes, first and foremost, to the people in Vila Autódromo, especially to Mr. Altair Guimarães and Mrs. Jane Nascimento. Your fight is an inspiration! Thank you for sharing your experiences and time with me. To Randi Kaarhus, my very wise and patient supervisor, that helped me immensely during this long process! You have a fine balance between empowering and supporting that makes you an excellent supervisor. Thank you so much for your support and guidance. To the teachers and students in UMB and in UIB that made this master program a very enriching experience to my life. To my “super group” and to my student advisor, Ingunn Bohmann, thank you so much for your help. To Theresa Williams, director of CatComm, thank you so much for your willingness to help me in my research and put me in contact with the association. I admire greatly the work of CatComm in Rio de Janeiro, your engagement has also been an inspiration to this thesis. To Lívia Hodne who revised the English language for me and gave me so much support during these last years. Your friendship and example helped me to believe that I could do this. To my family and friends, in Brazil and in Norway who have been so patient with me, encouraging and listening every time I needed. To my “amor” Lars Olaussen, you have my deepest gratitude for all you have sacrificed during these last three years, without you I wouldn’t have made it. Thank you for believing in me and for making it possible to continue my studies. v vi Abstract Vila Autódromo is one of the many favelas in Rio de Janeiro threaten by removal by due to the 2016 Olympic Games happening in Rio Janeiro. The community has fought with the government of Rio de Janeiro’s city against eviction since 1993, however their battle has intensified greatly during the past two years since the area occupied by Vila Autódromo will neighbor the Olympic Park and the Olympic Village. These structures will be partially financed by the private real estate capital and will be sold as private properties after the games in a highly valued piece of land. The community, however, has not been intimidated by the pressures exerted by the City Hall’s current administration and the private capital and has equally intensified their resistance. Organized into a residents’ association that represents the community before the public organs, their strategies are divided into main fields: working for the juridical part of their case and developing a network that includes partners and collaborators. This thesis proposes to present a full report of their case as the actors involved in it. It also provides an historical and geographic background that works to contextualize Vila Autódromo and their struggle into the broader context of socio-economic inequalities in Brazil and the fight of favelas’ communities for citizen rights. Drawing on two months of fieldwork in Rio de Janeiro I have collected the data necessary to the report of their case, and in addition, I sought to gain their perspective of the situation which, would be ultimately, used to guide my analysis. Because I wished to analyze the case from the association’s point of view, it was essential to apply a research design and methodology that provided the necessary flexibility for changes along the process. I have chosen therefore, to develop this research within the frames of a case study. Their case provides us with valuable insights into how the strong social stratification of Rio takes place on the local sphere and to observe the relationships that concretize these differences into a spatial stratification. Vila Autódromo stands out as a symbolic case to social movement groups that defend the expansion of civil rights in Rio because it provides these groups with a clear-cut case of social discrimination and spatial stratification carried out both by State agents and real estate capital. Finally, it might also contribute to our understanding of how communities living in a deeply unequal society can successfully mobilize to fight for equal rights and to break with the kind of social and political mechanisms that work to perpetuate conditions of exclusion and inequality in Rio de Janeiro and in Brazil. vii viii Table of Contents DECLARATION...................................................................................................................................III ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...................................................................................................................... V ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................ VII TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................................IX LIST OF ACRONYMS .........................................................................................................................XI LIST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS ........................................................................................XIII 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 WHY I CHOSE VILA AUTÓDROMO ................................................................................................. 1 1.2 THE CASE OF VILA AUTÓDROMO .................................................................................................. 4 1.3 MY RESEARCH FOCUS AND OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................ 6 1.4 THESIS OUTLINE ............................................................................................................................ 9 2. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT.................................................................................................. 11 2.1 SHORT INTRODUCTION TO BRAZIL: ............................................................................................. 11 2.2 RIO IN BRAZIL’S HISTORY ........................................................................................................... 14 2.3 RIO IN BRAZIL’S GEOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................... 17 2.4 FAVELAS IN RIO DE JANEIRO....................................................................................................... 20 3. RESEARCH METHODS AND FIELDWORK................................................................................ 23 3.1 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................... 23 3.1.1 Research design ................................................................................................................... 23 3.1.2 Research methods ................................................................................................................ 24 3.2 DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS ............................................................................................. 26 3.2.1 Fieldwork and experiences: the Context of data collection................................................. 26 3.2.2 Methods of data collection and analysis.............................................................................. 28 3.3 LIMITATIONS, VALUES AND ETHICS............................................................................................. 31 3.3.1.Limitations ........................................................................................................................... 31 3.3.2 Values and ethics ................................................................................................................. 33 4. THEORETICAL APPROACH ........................................................................................................