Social Polarization in Latin America and the Caribbean
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Social Polarization in Latin America and the Carribean
Introduction
Social polarisation is the widening gap within a given society that emerges from income disparities within individuals causing various social groups, from high income to low income. It entails the expansion of jobs that require low skills while at the same time, jobs that require higher professionals and expertise still experience growth. There is a rising concern on issues of social polarisation and cohesion that stem from the observation that in many countries, societies maybe separating out into different groups. That concern is quite relevant in the Carribean and in Latin America, a region that records high levels of inequality and an increase in income disparities over the last two decades. High levels of economic polarisation mainly characterise Latin America as compared to other world regions ( Lin,Jan and Christopher Mele228-319).When the dispersion in the socioeconomic traits of a population is very high, the social economic cohesion is likely to be weak. This disparity in a society due to income levels leads to different social classes as in the case with Brazil city leading to the rise of informal settlements.
What is a favela?
A favela in Brazil is a slum that is within the countrys large cities especially Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. A favela sprouts when homeless people occupy empty land and set up makeshift structures out of old materials. Favelas are part of Brazilian sociocultural practices. (Perlman Janice 333).
What socioeconomic disparities are highlighted by Brazil's favelas
In the Brazilian community, a great rural to urban migration in the 1940s to 1970s was one of the reasons for the rise in favelas. Most favelas have drug Lords who run gangs that openly sell drugs. Although these favelas may have some "bad guys," most favela residents are people who have honest jobs and work hard for their money. Most of the favelas upper class are
Course:
Tutor:
Date:
Social Polarization in Latin America and the Carribean
Introduction
Social polarisation is the widening gap within a given society that emerges from income disparities within individuals causing various social groups, from high income to low income. It entails the expansion of jobs that require low skills while at the same time, jobs that require higher professionals and expertise still experience growth. There is a rising concern on issues of social polarisation and cohesion that stem from the observation that in many countries, societies maybe separating out into different groups. That concern is quite relevant in the Carribean and in Latin America, a region that records high levels of inequality and an increase in income disparities over the last two decades. High levels of economic polarisation mainly characterise Latin America as compared to other world regions ( Lin,Jan and Christopher Mele228-319).When the dispersion in the socioeconomic traits of a population is very high, the social economic cohesion is likely to be weak. This disparity in a society due to income levels leads to different social classes as in the case with Brazil city leading to the rise of informal settlements.
What is a favela?
A favela in Brazil is a slum that is within the countrys large cities especially Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. A favela sprouts when homeless people occupy empty land and set up makeshift structures out of old materials. Favelas are part of Brazilian sociocultural practices. (Perlman Janice 333).
What socioeconomic disparities are highlighted by Brazil's favelas
In the Brazilian community, a great rural to urban migration in the 1940s to 1970s was one of the reasons for the rise in favelas. Most favelas have drug Lords who run gangs that openly sell drugs. Although these favelas may have some "bad guys," most favela residents are people who have honest jobs and work hard for their money. Most of the favelas upper class are
Cited: Fausto, Carlos. Warfare and Shamanism in Amazonia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Print. Lin, Jan, and Christopher Mele. The Urban Sociology Reader. London: Routledge, 2005. Print. Perlman, Janice. Favela Four Decades of Living on the Edge in Rio de Janeiro. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. "Homepage | Smithsonian." Homepage | Smithsonian. N.P., n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. http://www.smithsonianmag.com Snorre, Wikk. 2011. The Rio’s Favella Wars 1, 2, 3. Film.