The Work of Living With Waste
The Work of Living With Waste: Labour, Social Reproduction and Environmental Justice in Maré, Rio de Janeiro
Lead Supervisor: Will Monteith
Degree Programme: PhD in Geography
Co-Supervisors:
Mariana Steffen (People's Palace Projects/School of the Arts)
Thiago Jesus (People's Palace Projects/School of Society & Environment)
Project Description
What work is required to make places marked by waste and environmental crisis liveable, and who performs this work? This project will examine the different forms of productive and reproductive labour involved in living with waste in Maré, one of the largest favela complexes in Rio. It will use ethnographic, participatory and creative methods developed with People’s Palace Projects, bringing research on labour and informal economies into conversation with care, wellbeing and environmental justice.
This interdisciplinary approach will allow the project to examine how responsibility for interpreting, managing and repurposing waste is distributed between the state, civil society, workers, households and communities, and how these divisions are shaped by inequalities of gender, race and class, as well as local power relations and territorial dynamics. The project will explore how waste becomes embedded in livelihoods, social reproduction and everyday urban life, and its wider implications for community health, wellbeing and the environment. It will also examine existing community and institutional responses to waste, and whether interventions recognise or displace the labour and knowledge through which residents already make environments liveable. T
he final research questions, methods and outputs will be co-produced with Redes da Maré, one of the largest community-based organisations in Brazil. Grounded in the specific experiences and dynamics of Maré, the research will also offer insights into wider challenges of waste management, environmental inequality and community responses in underserved urban areas in Brazil and beyond.
What we're looking for in a student
We are looking for a highly motivated student with a background in geography, politics, anthropology, sociology, urban studies, development studies, public health or a related field. The candidate will have an interest in questions of waste, labour, care, environmental justice and urban inequality, and a commitment to understanding how communities navigate these issues and make their environments liveable. Fluency in Portuguese, an interest in co-produced research, and a willingness to collaborate with local partners in Rio de Janeiro are essential. Experience in qualitative research, ethnographic and participatory methods, and/or arts-based practice is desirable, as is an interest in place-based research and interdisciplinary approaches to informal economies and social and cultural life. Applicants committed to collaborative and socially engaged research are encouraged to apply.
Key words: Work, Waste, Social Reproduction, Environmental Justice