“Aqui é guerra todo dia” : juventude e cotidiano em um bairro popular de Porto Alegre–RS

Abstract

This research objective is to describe different dimensions the daily lives of young people who live in a low-income neighborhood in the south-central region of Porto Alegre, and who have their routine marked by a “war” triggered by criminal groups that dispute the control of the illicit drug trade in the region. Using the concept of “piece” (MAGNANI, 2006), I try to show how, in this territory, the public space is characterized by private dynamics, creating highly controlled restrictions that limit both the circulation and the access to public policies by young people. The issue of violence emerged intensely during fieldwork, when different events brought situations of violence to my attention and to the attention of the young interlocutors. In this way, the analysis presented are framed by the category “violence” (BUTLER, 2015), and by the observation of “forms of sociability” derived from the researched context and considering the emergence of a “techno-sociability” (ESCOBAR, 1994), marked by violence and an undeniable part of the youth routine.