Capital Dynamics in Favelas (Brazilian Slums): The Bureaucratic Field and the Spatial Capital

Abstract In this article we aim to analyze the disputes over capital by bureaucratic State agents acting in favelas within the context of pacification. To this end, we rely on the theoretical perspective of Pierre Bourdieu and we conducted an ethnography-inspired field research in two Rio de Janeiro favelas, which included participant observation and 91 semi-structured interviews. We concluded that the types of capital most valued by the State bureaucratic agents acting in the favelas are economic capital, a fundamental type, and spatial capital, a specific type found in the field in question related to occupation of territory or material results. Therefore, agents that accumulate a larger volume of these capitals, such as the UPP (Police Pacification Unit) and the PAC (Program for Growth Acceleration), seem to achieve dominant field positions.