State of Insecurity

Reading and reviewing the article, “State of Insecurity: Everyday Emergencies, Public Secrets, and Drug Traffickers Power in a Brazilian Favela” a perspective on the lives of the favela population with the emergence of drug trafficking is shared. Drug trafficking, from the outside takes on the roll of “illegal” and “informal” jobs that threaten the security of Brazil but have manifested into more of a coat of protection and a way of life in many favelas of Rio De Janeiro.

The Brazilian’s states inability and failure to to provide safety in favelas has allowed for drug traffickers to engage and assume the role of “local security” and enforcers of social norms. All of these services are expected of drug traffickers, as stated in the article. The complicity and silence of the favelados must be maintained in this social contract in exchange for the safety and security.

“Rather than being a force that upholds the law, Rio’s police have, since their inception, been charged with enforcing public order”

The article goes on to describe certain cases of favela sectors of Rio de Janeiro and the past experience. the stories continue to demonstrate and have overlapping themes of “respect” for the population of favelados and how it determines their safety, and also the law of silence which is a social norm within favelas such as Caxambu. The questions that are raised are “who defines security or insecurity?” and how are favelas answering these questions.

For the complete article
 Ben Penglase- States of “Insecutrity”