The embodied state

Governmentality in a Brazilian favela

Bibliographic Data

ID4757085
AuthorsJeff Garmany (0000-0001-5892-233X, University of Arizona, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume10
Issue7
Pages721-739
Publication date2009-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial & Cultural Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-9365 • E-ISSN: 1470-1197
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14649360903205132
OpenAlexW1993328793
LanguageEN
Citations received39
References cited64

Given that the influence of the state apparatus tends to vary across space, it has been frequently presumed that the state develops a stronger presence in wealthier neighborhoods (where levels of capital accumulation are higher) than it does in poorer ones. In Brazilian favelas (urban slums), as a prominent example, ethnographic accounts have previously suggested that the presence of the 'official' state is limited and on the decline. Based on the results of intensive fieldwork in Fortaleza, Brazil, this paper complicates that argument, positing that the state, through the effects of governmentality, may actually have a much stronger presence in favelas than has often been presumed. Drawing upon case research with favela residents, and interpreting through a Foucaultian perspective, this paper explains the increasing presence of the state through the governmentality produced in urban space. By recognizing how the state manifests both in and through bodies and space, researchers are provided better traction for understanding proliferating urban slums and explaining the political landscapes they engender

Argument (complex analysis · Embodied cognition · Epistemology · Ethnography · Governmentality · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Urban Planning and Governance

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub