Understanding everyday lived experiences of moving around Brazilian favelas: the case of favela Santa Marta and Vila Tronco

This article examines the lived mobility experiences of residents of two favelas in Brazil: Favela Santa Marta, Rio de Janeiro and Vila Tronco, Porto Alegre. Specifically, we discuss the significance of mobility and the everyday challenges for seldom-heard communities when moving around their neighbourhoods. We also outline the value of remote photo-elicitation interviews for investigating daily mobility experiences. We draw on the experience of conducting research during the coronavirus pandemic when lockdown measures and public health restrictions were in place. The everyday mobility experiences in this study demonstrate the entanglements of power, racism and social and spatial exclusion affecting the materiality and immateriality of mobility. This paper contributes to discussions on the social, cultural and environmental aspects of mobility and highlights the need to adopt proactive knowledge production that opens opportunities for local perspectives on the lived experience of mobility.