“Civilizing” Rio

“'Civilizing' Rio is a concise, well-written social history that will be invaluable to anyone conducting an examination of the modern urban environment's evolution. Professor Meade utilizes Manuel Castels's 'theory of collective consumption' to examine Rio de Janeiro's growth and development. She effectively argues that the allocation of urban space and its amenities are not accidental, but planned in a manner that purposely separates the rich from the poor. . . . 'Civilizing' Rio will be of great appeal to all who are interested in Latin American urban and social history. It also serves as a foundation upon which other comparative analyses of developing cities can be examined. It is unfortunate that the book will likely be ignored by the architects and planners who are responsible for the design of today's cities.” —Sam Amado, Hispanic American Historical Review

“Using an impressive array of Brazilian primary and secondary sources and placing her study within a larger theoretical context on the causes of urban violence, Meade shows that Rio’s development, like that of many metropolises in the developing world . . . was planned. . . . An excellent resource for those interested in Brazil and Rio de Janeiro during the Old Republic, and urban violence in general.” —W. M. Weis, Choice

“Meade takes a refreshing and provocative perspective that offers substantial rewards to students of urban movements in general. . . . 'Civilizing' Rio should provoke a rethinking of urban politics and movements.” —Steven Topik, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

“This lively and stimulating discussion of urban 'renewal' and popular protest in Rio de Janeiro brings together several themes of current interest, including the spatial and public-health dimensions of social control, popular responses to new forms of state repression and professional expertise, and class conflict beyond the workplace. . . . [A]n important contribution to the social history of Latin American cities.” —Barbara Weinstein, SUNY at Stony Brook

“['Civilizing' Rio] is part of the new social history that emphasizes crowds, popular resistance, and neighborhoods in the context of social classes. The study supplies concrete historical data to test world systems theories of how popular movements were affected by the effect of world economic change and contributes an original argument in the areas of urban and labor history. There is much comparative discussion placing the study in the international context of other third world areas such as Africa, Argentina, Mexico, as well as Western Europe.” —Timothy F. Harding, California State University, Los Angeles