‘Parallel Power’ in Rio de Janeiro: Coercive Mediators and the Fragmentation of Citizenship in the Favela

Mediation is in part a reflection of the nature of the relationship between the favela and the contemporary Brazilian state, which has a particular historical character. In Rio, armed actors have come to act as mediators as a result of their position within the favela, which has evolved alongside the favela-state relationship. The current constitution, ratified in 1988, marked the end of more than 20 years of military dictatorship and expanded considerably the number of rights and the concept of citizenship in Brazil set out by the 1934 Vargas Constitution (Kingstone 2000). Beyond the rights set out in the constitution, the document also marks an important shift in the mode of interaction between the state and citizens, as it also heralded the rise of formally instituted citizen participation through consultative councils at different levels of government (Coelho 2004; Cornwall and Coelho 2007). There is a significant body of research that examines the effectiveness and dynamics of these participatory mechanisms, including participatory budgeting, health councils and environmental councils. Brazil’s attempts at participatory democracy have attracted global attention.