Why read Drugs and Democracy in Rio de Janeiro?

Book cover of Drugs and Democracy in Rio de Janeiro: Trafficking, Social Networks, and Public Security

Book description

Taking an ethnographic approach to understanding urban violence, Enrique Desmond Arias examines the ongoing problems of crime and police corruption that have led to widespread misery and human rights violations in many of Latin America's new democracies. Employing participant observation and interview research in three favelas (shantytowns) in ""Rio de…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Drugs and Democracy in Rio de Janeiro as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Robert Gay

Author

Arias’ book is the product of nine years of intensive ethnographic research in three favelas (shanty towns) of Rio de Janeiro. This enables him to assess how local community leaders deal with the parallel power of drug gangs that become entrenched in their neighborhoods. Unable to rely on the police, who are violent and corrupt, community leaders are forced to find ways to coexist with actors who represent a substantial financial and military threat to their authority. In terms of methodology, this is a really impressive piece of research!

From Robert's list on the drugs and violence in Brazil.