Work

Young entrepreneurs and peripheral utopias in the south zone of São Paulo

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Grounded in an ethnographic study tracing the trajectories of four young people from the southern periphery of the city of São Paulo, this article investigates how entrepreneurship has developed as the other face of peripheral culture. Conceptualized as a utopian cultural form of self-employment, this study argues that entrepreneurship redefines the horizons of expectation that were once central to the lives of residents living on the periphery – namely, the employment and social security record card and political engagement. The article concludes that, feeling increasingly unrepresented in both the labor market and in left-wing organizations, these young people turn to the utopian ideal of entrepreneurship to navigate their personal challenges and, collectively, advance their vision of peripheral autonomy.

Source: Revista Brasileira de Estudos Urbanos e Regionais

DOI: 10.22296/2317-1529.rbeur.202508en

Authors: Henrique Costa, Sue A. S. Iamamoto

Institutions: Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento, Universidade Federal da Bahia

Language: English

Topic: Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities, No poverty, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W4408348577

FWCI:

Cites: 26

Cited by:

Related to: 10