ABSTRACT
Unequal urbanization processes in Brazil materialised a contradictory situation of deep housing crisis and numerous empty urban spaces. Rio de Janeiro’s reshaping for mega-events such as the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2015 is a complex case of strategic planning aiming to attract transnational investment. In this work I examine a squatter movement in Rio de Janeiro that configured itself as a subversive group with revolutionary practices and anti-capitalist projects. I argue that this specific experience can present essential insights for sociological research, indicating an alternative perspective and revealing disguised conflicts. This article’s goal is to give voice to a vulnerable group and create an open and dynamic theoretical framework that is nourished by this insurgent perspective. The development of this work is based on the dialogue with one of the leaders of this social movement and the outcome was the identification of essential topics: a) social movements’ context in Brazil, b) the formation of this squatter movement and the ongoing neoliberalisation process in Rio de Janeiro, and c) the squatter movement as a utopic enclave, seeking to articulate a thicker resistance network.