The production of victims as entrepreneurs of their social redemption: Young people, control and involvement

Abstract

Drawing on the results of an ethnographic study and group interviews with young people and social project coordinators from fave-lasin Rio de Janeiro, this article discusses the association between youth and vulnerabilities and its possible consequences for the reinforcement of negative stereotypes of poor young people through discourses that emphasize self-management. It explores the notion of production of victims as entrepreneurs of their social redemption by promoting reflection on the use of the category involved in crime, disseminated in the common sense as a new form of criminal labeling. The article addresses material and symbolic investments in poor young people, beneficiaries of so-called social projects, reflecting on the maneuvers of meanings that veil the temporality of these initiatives, characterized by moralistic overtones of merit and salvation. The fear of dying or “remaining”, of not finding a job, and a series of other fears are the focus of this reflection, which seeks to broaden the debate over institutional initiatives directed at young people.