Lived Religion and the Multiple Governance of Ordinary Life in Latin American Urban Margins

Latin American territories of poverty are often perceived as lawless and chaotic. However, the literature increasingly suggests that, rather than being ungoverned, these areas are regulated by multiple authorities, logics, and norms. This paper explores the central role of religion and religious practices in shaping daily life within these complex dynamics. Drawing on findings from two ethnographic studies conducted over the past eight years—one in a favela in Belo Horizonte, Brazil (2016–2020), and the other in a villa in Buenos Aires, Argentina (2021–2023)—the paper moves beyond the distinction between the otherworldly and the worldly, highlighting how religion functions as a key factor in producing social order in conflictive urban margins.

In the favela in Belo Horizonte, while Catholicism remains influential, the rapid and deep expansion of various evangelical denominations, particularly Pentecostalism, is striking. In the villa in Buenos Aires, although a similar religious shift is noticeable, with evangelicalism gaining legitimacy over recent decades, Catholicism maintains a dominant presence through institutions, projects, and key actors. However, religious affiliation is not the only factor distinguishing these two settings. Focusing on lived religion, this comparative research demonstrates how the role of religion in producing social order is shaped by its interactions with other societal actors and institutions governing these spaces.

Special attention is given to the relationships between lived religion and: (i) State apparatuses, logics, and actors; (ii) local criminal networks; and (iii) social movements and political organizations. By examining these interactions—ranging from conflict and confrontation to intersection, overlap, or cross-fertilization—this paper offers a broader understanding of how religion, as lived in each community, generates diverse forms of governance and order in marginalized urban spaces in Latin America.