Disappearances and Police Killings in Contemporary Brazil: The Politics of Life and Death

The book explores the history of policing in Brazil and its colonial underpinnings, arguing that the invisibility of police killings and disappearances in favelas is due to a colonial mindset that persists throughout Brazil's history of dictatorship and re-democratization. It analyzes the development of the police as a colonial mechanism of social control and how the war on drugs reproduces this logic, rendering some lives disposable and vulnerable to unchecked police brutality and death.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 190 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The book delves into an interdisciplinary qualitative exploration of the history of policing in Brazil, shedding light on its colonial roots. It offers theoretical frameworks that examine the intricate relationship between biopolitics, space, and race, as well as the ongoing efforts of post-colonial and decolonial studies to address the state, violence, and the creation of disposable political subjects.

Through a focused empirical analysis of contemporary police killings and disappearances in favelas, particularly in Rio de Janeiro, the book argues that the invisibility of this phenomenon is a result of a colonial mindset that has permeated Brazil's history, spanning from dictatorship to re-democratization. This mindset, rooted in the legacies of the Portuguese empire and the plantation system, has led to the marginalization and vulnerability of certain communities, particularly those of African descent.

Villenave's work delves into the development of the police as a colonial tool of social control, highlighting how the war on drugs perpetuates this colonial logic. It demonstrates how the lives of individuals, overwhelmingly from black communities, are rendered disposable, making them susceptible to unchecked police brutality and death. This book holds significant appeal to students and scholars of international politics, as well as contributing to critical security studies, postcolonial and de-colonial thought, global politics, the politics of Latin America, and political geography.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032187174