The Edge of the Law

Street Vendors and the Erosion of Citizenship in São Paulo

Jacinto Cuvi

$49.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

University of Chicago Press
16 June 2025

Sociology & anthropology

How street vendors tangle with the law in São Paulo, Brazil.

The daily delights and conveniences that any city dweller has become accustomed to, such as cold water bottles on a summer afternoon in the park or a popsicle from a tray while you're sitting in traffic, do not come cheap for those offering them. With a little initiative and very little startup money, an enterprising individual might sell you any of these things. Such vendors form a significant share of the workforce in São Paulo, Brazil. Some have the right to practice their trade; others do not.

In The Edge of the Law, sociologist Jacinto Cuvi introduces us to this world of street vendors to tease out the relationship between constructions of legality and the experience of citizenship. As the government undertakes a large-scale plan to cancel street vending licenses and evict street vendors, Cuvi reveals how the rights of informal workers can be revoked or withheld, and how the lines can be redrawn between those whose work is ""legal"" and those who work running from the police.

Alongside the mechanics of disenfranchisement, Cuvi captures the lived experience of criminalization, dissecting the distribution of (shallow) rights among these vendors as they continually reinvent strategies to etch out a living while dealing with the constraints and pressures of ""informal citizenship"" at the edge of the law.

By: Jacinto Cuvi
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 286g
ISBN: 9780226840895
ISBN 10: 0226840891
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 16 June 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jacinto Cuvi is associate professor of sociology and development studies at the Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium.