ABSTRACT
Favelas are urban areas that are in general terms characterized by the informal nature of their origin, the low income of the population living there and the precarity of infrastructure and of the social services provided. While favelas present differences between themselves and internally, such differences are historically neglected by most public policies of sanitation, removal or urbanization. Refusal was triggered by the fear of poisoning and contamination. Favelas have long been associated with the construction of alterity, associating the residents with drug trafficking and violence. Nonetheless, it was not only men with hypothetical links to drug trafficking who feared poisoning. Women also espoused these fears, although they were conceptualized and acted upon somewhat differently. The chapter argues that refusals can function to establish and cement relations, even if not, perhaps, with the person doing the offering. When Marcelo and Mariana shared information about their suspicions and fears of certain people, they offered an opportunity to align with their position.
