Neither dead nor alive

Participatory slum governance as a zombie program

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2263271
AutoresSolano Da Silva (0000-0002-3669-6455, Anthropology and Development Studies Radboud University Nijmegen the Netherlands), Martijn Koster (0000-0003-0003-5345, Anthropology and Development Studies Radboud University Nijmegen the Netherlands), Pieter De Vries (0000-0003-1160-4849, International Development Research Liaison for Wageningen University Netherlands)
Año2023
Volumen35
Número2
Páginas65-76
Fecha de publicación2023-08-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCity & Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0893-0465 • E-ISSN: 1548-744X
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/ciso.12457
OpenAlexW4382940122
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas21

This article focuses on PREZEIS, an internationally acclaimed participatory slum governance program in Recife, Brazil. PREZEIS was implemented in 1987 and emerged out of a strong popular movement that resisted forced evictions of squatter settlements under the military regime (1964-1985). To date, however, its main objectives-upgrading slums and regularizing land rights-have not been achieved, and its executive powers have been dismantled over the years. We argue that this institutionalization of a popular movement gave birth to a "zombie program" that lives off the past and refuses to die. We advance the zombie metaphor through the Lacanian notion of "fetishistic disavowal," of knowing PREZEIS is "dead" but still believing it can be revived through ritualistic, fetishistic activities. We argue that the challenge is to accept its death, opening up the possibility for something truly new to arise. In the conclusion, we also explore how this factors into broader debates on urban post-politics

Urban and Rural Development Challenges · Urban Planning and Governance · Water Governance and Infrastructure