Waiting territories and times of politics in the context of housing policy

Campos dos Goytacazes/RJ, Brazil

Abstract

This work discusses the notions of “waiting territories” and “times of politics” from the daily experiences of ex-residents of the favela Inferno Verde (Green Hell slum), in Campos dos Goytacazes, a municipality located in the north of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2012 all of the residents were removed and the favela Inferno Verde was completely demolished. While awaiting the construction of housing carried out by the municipal social housing program, these residents were placed in the “aluguel social” (social rent)” program Some rented houses near each other, thus creating what we refer to as “waiting territories”. Considering that the policy possesses temporalities experienced daily – the “times of politics”, i.e. the period between two elections – we seek to understand how conceptions and practices stemming from the “times of politics” are expressed in the “waiting territory.”