Mecanismos de gestão de casos de roubo entre os residentes do Bairro Polana Caniço A, Cidade de Maputo

Abstract

The present study analyzes the management of theft cases among residents of Bairro Polana Caniço “A”, City of Maputo. From the literature I consulted, I identified two perspectives. The first argues that crime is strongly linked to the unequal distribution of material resources in societies. The second argues that crime originates from the organization of the physical space and the social environment that is cultivated. These perspectives on the one hand make it possible to understand the factors that give rise to crime, on the other hand it does not open space to understand the issue of crime beyond the economy, as well as the management of cases of theft among residents. To understand the management of robbery cases among residents, I conducted an ethnographic research in the Polana Caniço A neighborhood, Maputo City. Based on the material collected in the field, I show that the participants of this study have variations in the interpretations of what experience in their daily lives. In these interpretations at some point they consider the situation of robberies to be normal and at another time to be something evil. In addition to these, they define control mechanisms, collective and individual. Still based on the ethnographic material, I show that the management of theft cases varies according to people's satisfaction. The present research allows us to understand the management of robbery cases in a context where satisfaction is the guideline, unlike the dominant studies that defend crime in its relationship with poverty.