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In Rio de Janeiro the socio-spatial segregation between the formal city and the informal settlements known as favelas has led to an image of the city as irredeemably divided. Historically, the public security policies in the favelas have been formulated as a "war" against drug factions operating in these territories. In order to improve the security situation in Rio de Janeiro before the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, a new public security program called the pacification program (UPP) was developed in 2007. Through combining proximity policing with urban upgrading interventions and increased access to social services, the program aims to confront the dualized socio-political space of the city. Both the residents and the government hope the pacification can represent an approximation process between the "pacified" favelas and the rest of the city. What is meant by approximation is however not given and depends on what interests are at stake. This thesis examines what the pacification means in practice; in the everyday life in a pacified favela and in the perceptions of the diverse actors that are affected and/or involved.
