Conviviality in Inequality : Security in the City (São Paulo)

This paper explores the interplay between security, conviviality, and inequality in São Paulo, Brazil, with a specific focus on hospitality security within gated communities. Through seven years of extensive fieldwork and research, this study sheds light on the pivotal role played by hospitality security in shaping social life within São Paulo’s urban areas. Rather than viewing private security as a response to the failings of the rule of law or gaps in the public security system, this paper positions it within a broader moral economy. The analysis incorporates the concept of conviviality and its reciprocal connection with inequality, encompassing material, power, environmental, and epistemic dimensions. The paper emphasizes the significance of gatekeepers, explores the cultural importance of cordiality, and highlights the experiences of low-level security guards operating within this framework.