Eviction cycles in Belém (PA): the Tucunduba River Basin and the reproduction of precariousness

Abstract

This article presents evidence that there is an ongoing cycle of evictions in the Tucunduba River Basin, in the Brazilian city of Belém (PA), where urbanization work has been conducted over several years, thus bringing about an ever-increasing number of displaced families. It is understood that the failure to provide housing for the evicted families has led to an increase in the cases of judicialization, which has thereby contributed to further irregular occupations and, hence, a continuation of precariousness and informality. The contributing factors for this situation have been classified into four groups: operational/planning; political/administrative; ideological; and extralegal. Empirical and documentary sources, interviews with both the technicians from public departments and the population threatened by eviction, together with an analysis of the judicial processes have demonstrated that while evictions intensify the vulnerable conditions of the families, they also serve to maintain structures that support peripheral capitalism.