Call for papers for the Dossier “Condominiums and cities: social dimensions of living”

Condominiums are collective living spaces, characterized by the presence of common areas for their residents, who eventually also share some services. These spaces can be classified according to their form: vertical, in the form of buildings, or horizontal, in the arrangement of houses on the same plot of land. They can also be considered small, medium or large, depending on the infrastructure available, and can have a variety of leisure options such as swimming pools, sports courts, party rooms, among others. In Brazil, the main characteristic of condominiums is access control and security, including the installation of monitoring and surveillance systems, using measures to restrict the areas inside the condominium and thus contrasting with the communal life of some North American gated communities.

Condominiums were initially recognized as housing facilities for the middle and upper classes. However, in the last two decades, government programs such as the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) and Minha Casa Minha Vida (MCMV) have adopted the condominium format for the construction of urban low-income housing, including those that were used as a compensatory measure for residents removed from favelas. Some research has pointed out the challenges of getting the poorest to adopt this housing model, as well as the constant conflicts and negotiations that have resulted from the construction of these programs. Other research points to the adoption of the condominium model in spaces of occupation, aiming, through this organization, for a less stereotyped representation of the space, which allows, among other things, the regularization of the use of housing.

The phenomenon of housing in condominiums has become increasingly present in the world's cities and is especially present in the Brazilian urban context, likewise consolidating itself as an interest in the study of different areas of knowledge. In this way, “condominium problems” have prompted research looking at multiple issues: the management of these spaces, the conflicts involving their residents, the impacts of these residences on contemporary urbanism and their effects on forms of urban sociability are some of the questions raised around these social dimensions of living.
We hope to receive articles that address the issue in an interdisciplinary way, dialoguing with different areas of knowledge and contributing to the advancement of the debate on condominiums and forms of housing in collective spaces, exploring the urban dimensions of this phenomenon.

Taking into account the evaluation criteria imposed on scientific journals, 50% of the articles may be selected from doctoral students; the other articles must be authored by at least one doctor. All articles submitted will be blindly assessed by external referees, in line with the journal's policy. In order to take account of the diversity of theoretical and methodological approaches to the different empirical fields and issues to be debated, articles will preferably be accepted from the fields of Anthropology and Social Sciences, observing the parameters of exogeny in relation to UFF.

Organizers: Wellington da Silva Conceição (UFMA/Brazil), Caroline Martins de Melo Bottino (UERJ/Brazil), Frank Andrew Davies (UERJ/Brazil) and Mariana Cavalcanti (UERJ/Brazil).

Deadline: March 10, 2025.

NOTE: As we have more than one open call, it is mandatory to indicate in the 'Comments to editors' field that the submission is for the “Condominiums and cities” Dossier.

Contributions can be sent until March 10, 2025 via the journal's electronic system: https://periodicos.uff.br/antropolitica/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions