The Metamorphosis of Marginality in Rio De Janeiro

Abstract

Both the theoretical concept and the social reality of marginality have been significantly transformed since the 1960s, but Helen Safa's final comment above, that “[the poor] remain an integral part of the nation,” remains as true today as it was when I lived in Rio de Janeiro's favelas in 1968–69. As I argued in The Myth of Marginality, favela residents were tightly integrated into society, albeit in an extremely perverse and asymmetrical manner. They worked in the least desirable jobs, under the worst conditions for the lowest pay; participated in the political life of their communities and city (to the extent permitted within the dictatorship) to little or no benefit; and contributed to the cultural and social life of the city without recognition. Peter Ward's introductory summary above lays out the context and parameters of my earlier work. Now, thirty-five years later, I am engaged in an intensivere-study, interviewing the original study participants, their children, and grandchildren. As we have data on the parents of the original interviewees, this enables us to look at propositions of marginality over four generations.