The ambivalence of slum politics in reactionary times in Recife, Brazil

Abstract

In this paper, we draw on the distinction between a “politics of negotiation” and a “politics of refusal” in order to highlight the ambivalence of “slum politics” in Recife, Brazil. Slum politics can be a radical politics of collective solidarity as was the case during the military dictatorship when a popular movement rooted in land occupations initiated the institutionalization of an internationally lauded participatory slum governance system. However, as our case shows, slum politics also has an opportunistic and reactionary side when community leaders seek individual advantage from their position as brokers between fellow slum dwellers and political patrons. We conclude that for slum dwellers, a good way for dealing with the internal contradictions of slum politics is engaging in a “politics of refusal” based on memories of destitution, eviction, and struggle, as an alternative to the “politics of negotiation” proposed by reformist political forces and social movements.