Misalignments: House money and inflationary experiences

Abstract

This article deals with how residents of a favela region known as the Complexo da Maré (Maré Complex), in the city of Rio de Janeiro, experienced price increase, particularly in food and energy, during 2021 and 2022, still in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We use the concept of alignment (and its derivatives, such as misalignment and realignment) to analyse the different ways of navigating an increase in the cost of living through accommodating material changes and future perspectives at different scales: from the ideals of a good life desired by people and families to decisions that need to be taken immediately or in a proximate future. We call alignment work the daily activities through which people and families deal with the instability of income, variation in money flows, the management of frustrations with the restrictions imposed by inflation, and the maintenance of significant ties which are altered or placed at risk by the crisis.