Abstract
This paper outlines a comparison of the retail drug market in favelas and peripheries of the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The reflections here presented are based in ethnographical field work conducted in both cities and a review of the studies on the theme. Anchored in empirical research, it explores the mechanics of relations between “crime” markets and forces of order, involved in the govern of life and death of the poor. Faced with violent competition among Rio’s factions and the idea of peace associated to the hegemony of a single commando in São Paulo, the comparison concentrates on the figures of the “hill owner” and “fellowship” in Rio de Janeiro, and the “boss” and “attunement” in São Paulo, regarding the intersections between three dimensions: the market places of the retail drug market; the dynamics of criminal collectives; and the distinct power arrangements settled between drug traffickers and law enforcement agents.
Drug trafficking; Favela; Periphery; São Paulo; Rio de Janeiro