"Winning" and "losing" a house

the (im)mobility of women in São Paulo outskirts

Abstract

This article presents the connections of three ethnographic researches on the outskirts of medium-sized cities in São Paulo aiming to discuss the relationships between territory, gender and social policies in the processes of “winning” and “lo- sing” the house. Its central issue is the (im) possibilities of circulation and contain- ment, of staying or moving in the “winning” and “losing” the house crossed by the actions of the State. We strain the usual narrative that understands homeowner- ship as stability. Public policies also appear as central to the maintenance/degrada- tion of life, in dialogue with the religion, crime and illegality / informality world.