Resilience aspirations, precarious futures : Gender invisibility, racialised risk, and forced displacements in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Mendes Barbosa, Luciana (2024) Resilience aspirations, precarious futures : Gender invisibility, racialised risk, and forced displacements in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Gender and Development, 32 (3). pp. 641-661. ISSN 1355-2074

Abstract

In Rio de Janeiro, efforts to create a ‘global’, ‘sustainable’, and ‘resilient’ city have contributed to perpetuating precarious conditions in favelas. These informal settlements have historically been targeted by urban development and modernisation initiatives. Recently, the displacement of over 22,000 families from Rio’s favelas has been justified in the context of climate change adaptation and disaster risk management agendas. Since the devastating 2010 landslides that claimed 67 lives, crisis response has become central to the city’s resilience goals and broader urban development. Risk, as a central category, has been invoked to legitimise the demolition and displacement of several favelas, particularly those located in racially designated high-risk areas. Meanwhile, a gendered invisible resilience is at play, perpetuating and exacerbating various forms of vulnerability. This paper critically examines the intersections of racialised risk assessments, resilience aspirations, and urban displacements in Rio de Janeiro. Specifically, it seeks to understand the socio-spatial implications of these intersecting processes for favelas and their inhabitants, with a focus on black women who are disproportionately affected by such policies. To achieve this, the study draws on 10 months of fieldwork conducted in 2016 and 2017 in six favelas across Rio de Janeiro.