Abstract

According to Stephen Graham, cities have become the battlespaces of a new generation of warfare. The «new military urbanism» entails the blurring of military and civilian spheres as it concerns urban security doctrine and practice. This article applies Graham's theory to Rio de Janeiro, a city of the Global South that has recently enhanced its existing urban securitization processes, in particular the militarization of the favelas. This acceleration mirrors the city's «mega event»-oriented strategy to attract global financial capital. By analyzing the uprisings that began in June 2013, this contribution identifies how urban conflicts create popular resistance to the new military urbanism and violent policing activity.