Brazil’s struggle to control its security landscape has led to a fragmented system where state forces, private security firms, militias, and criminal organizations compete for power. Nowhere is...Show moreBrazil’s struggle to control its security landscape has led to a fragmented system where state forces, private security firms, militias, and criminal organizations compete for power. Nowhere is this more evident than in Rio de Janeiro, a city deeply shaped by state withdrawal from marginalized areas, escalating violence, and the expanding role of private security actors. The 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics brought an unprecedented militarization of the "cidade maravilhosa" (marvelous city), with heavily armed police, mass evictions, and the expansion of Unidades de Polícia Pacificadora (UPPs) in favelas. These measures were meant to restore state control and reassure international audiences, yet they instead fueled public distrust, expanded private security’s reach, and deepened social inequalities. Despite extensive research on Brazil’s security crisis, little attention has been given to how the state actively collaborated with private security forces, militias, and drug cartels during the Mega Sports Events (MSEs). This study explores how these entanglements not only reinforced existing disparities in security provision but also further eroded the legitimacy of the state itself. Rather than strengthening state authority, the hyper-securitization of Rio during the MSEs accelerated its decline. By outsourcing key policing functions to private security firms and informal armed groups, the state blurred the lines between legal and extralegal authority. Instead of ensuring safety, these measures deepened the divide between protected elite spaces and increasingly violent favelas, where residents were left vulnerable to both police repression and criminal governance. Through qualitative analysis of primary and secondary sources, policy reports, and expert interviews, this research examines how security policies were implemented, manipulated, and co-opted by private interests. The findings reveal a dangerous paradox: the more the state relies on private security, the more it loses control. In a country where Ordem e Progresso remains an ideal rather than a reality, security is not a right—it is something to be bought, and for many, it is out of reach.Show less
The discrimination of women is still a current topic around the world and specifically in the favelas in Rio de Janeiro. Furthermore, women are silenced and ignored in the work of NGOs and even...Show moreThe discrimination of women is still a current topic around the world and specifically in the favelas in Rio de Janeiro. Furthermore, women are silenced and ignored in the work of NGOs and even academic texts are often focused on the point of view of men in the region. In the following essay, the work of a local NGO AfroReggae Cultural Group is examined by discussing the respresentation and self- representation of women through the website, lyrics, and videos. Doing so, critical discourse analysis will be used, exploring the feminist theory of different scholars, such as Judith Butler and Joan Scott.Show less
This thesis takes a look at repressive social programs, most namely the UPP pacification policy, and its impact towards integrating the Favelados into mainstream Brazilian society. The thesis...Show moreThis thesis takes a look at repressive social programs, most namely the UPP pacification policy, and its impact towards integrating the Favelados into mainstream Brazilian society. The thesis revolves around social inclusion and exclusion, the history of social reforms in Brazil, as well as the creation of the Favela community. By looking at these areas, an idea about the successes and failures of the UPP Pacification policy can be seen.Show less
