Speculations on ruination in public transportation: urban illegalisms, accumulation, and urban violence in Rio de Janeiro's railroads and BRT

• Grant number: 24/02318-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Anthropology - Urban Anthropology
• Principal Investigator: Bianca Stella Pinheiro de Freire Medeiros
• Grantee: Marcos Vinicius Lopes Campos
• Supervisor: Ignacio Farias
• Host Institution: Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento (CEBRAP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Humboldt University, Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/09274-5 - Accidents? Urban infrastructure and violence in rail transport in Rio de Janeiro, BP.PD

Abstract

In the position of a Visiting Fellow at the Georg Simmel Centre for Metropolitan Research at Humboldt University, I aim to developed the following objectives: (1) to continue the proposed research on the relationships between urban conflict and transportation infrastructures, (2) to enhance the internationalization of scientific production and the expansion of transnational networks with researchers from the Global South and North in the European context, and finally, (3) to conduct field research. First and foremost, I propose the writing of two unpublished articles.The first article will provide an extensive literature review of contemporary studies on transportation infrastructures in the Global South and North, aiming to broaden access and dissemination of this research agenda within the Brazilian scientific community. The second will present an ethnography of the effects (material, symbolic, institutional, and practical) of speculative narratives about the collapse of public transportation in Rio de Janeiro, engaging with studies on urban infrastructures, city production, illegalisms, illegal markets, and violence in Latin America. Secondly, the intention is to internationalize scientific production and expand transnational research networks through participation in seminars and other research activities. At Humboldt University, I will be involved with the Georg Simmel Centre for Metropolitan Research and the Stadlabor for Multimodal Anthropology. Additionally, I will visit other European centers such as Sciences Po, EHESS, Utrecht University, University of Sheffield, University of Manchester, University of Edinburgh, University of Rotterdam, Aarhus University, and Central European University. Thirdly, field research will be conducted at the Germany-Poland border to investigate the transnational used car market in Frankfurt Sur L'Odur for the 'Global Car' project.