Urban contemporaneity and endocolonial violence

reflections around Passageiro do fim do dia, by Rubens Figueiredo

Abstract

According to the studies of the geographer David Harvey (2014) and of the sociologist Loïc Wacquant (2001), violence would appear to be a key element to analyze the spatial and geographical organization of contemporary metropolises. This violence is intrinsic to capitalist development, which underlies urban expansion, and would be closely tied to the past of each specific context, highlighting the persistence of the exclusionary paradigms that characterized the colonial era. In this perspective, starting from the analytical reading of the novel Passageiro do fim do dia, by Rubens Figueiredo, and through a postcolonial critical approach, this article proposes a reflection on the endocolonial nature of contemporary urban violence.