Security assemblages of illicit drug control in Toronto's urban space

• Grant number: 17/04114-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: July 17, 2017
• End date: January 16, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: Paulo José dos Reis Pereira
• Grantee: Paulo José dos Reis Pereira
• Host Investigator: Line Beauchesne
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Sociais. Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Ottawa (uOttawa), Canada

Abstract

The importance of the international dimension has increased in crime and crime control studies since the 1990s. This trend, however, is not verified in the analyzes carried out by Brazilian researchers, particularly regarding to the international dynamics of state and non-state violence cycle related to the production, trade and consumption of drugs currently considered illegal, despite the importance of this theme for the country. Also, it should be considered that researches on crime and crime control with an international perspective usually assume a domestic/international dichotomy, making it difficult to identify relevant connections between actors operating at different levels (transnational, national and local), such as law enforcement institutions (e.g. police, judiciary), organized crime groups, private security companies, public health agencies, non-governmental organizations and UN specialized offices. Taking this framework for reference, the objective of this research is to understand how the domestic-international connections of security actors (security assemblages) structure the current repressive control of illicit drugs in urban spaces of global cities, focusing on the city of Toronto. The methodological choice of the subnational level of the city assumes that the big, complex and global metropolises are strategic points, from which it is possible to evaluate actors who are globally connected by intentional choices or not, through social and economic processes. Understanding the dynamics of illicit drug control in the urban space of Toronto is important because of its emphasis on a harm reduction and on other non-oppressive approaches. Given this emphasis on a public health perspective, that study case brings a variable that can be revealing and questioner of other more usual perspectives based on prohibition and oppression, as it is in Brazil.