Civilizing Rio

Civilizing Rio, Volume 1, examines the massive urban renewal and public health campaigns that reshaped Brazil's capital during the early twentieth century. This history and sociology study analyzes how the government transformed the city into a showcase of European architecture through modernized ports, wider streets, and improved sanitation. While these public works aimed to modernize the urban landscape, they primarily served the interests of international capital.

Teresa Meade explores how these changes marginalized the laboring poor, who were forced into peripheral areas without basic services. This urban social science text focuses on the resistance and popular rebellions that persisted long after the renovation ended in 1909. By detailing the conflict between local movements and distant financial forces, Civilizing Rio provides a critical look at modern political life and community protest in twentieth century Brazil.