Surviving and dying through the urban frontier: Everyday life, social brokerage and living with militias in Rio de Janeiro’s West Zone

Urban margins are typically depicted as residual, apolitical spaces, where delinquent activities take place. But these with their own social, economic and political goings-on, capable of drawing established urban structures into question. This paper brings together frontiers, settlements brokerage literatures to analyse how residents muddle through the challenges everyday life in interact coercive systems rule. Through ethnographic fieldwork, this focuses on two brokers from neighbouring communities Rio de Janeiro’s West Zone; exploring they mediate violent conditions, militia rule limited resources, why do so different effects. By focusing spatial historical dimensions brokerage, argues that power derives not only control domination, but also agency, legitimacy social energy. doing so, unearths potential for more radical possibilities development.