REVISITING THE WORK “LIVING AND DYING IN SÃO PAULO: IMMIGRANTS, HEALTH AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN BRAZIL”

Abstract

The book Living and Dying in São Paulo: Immigrants, Health, and the Built Environment in Brazil, by Jeffrey Lesser, focuses on the historical analysis of the relationships between immigration, public health, and urbanization in the São Paulo neighborhood of Bom Retiro. The aim of the book is to examine how different migratory waves have impacted the organization of urban space, sanitary discourses, and public policies over time. Based on the concept of “residues,” the author shows how physical, symbolic, and institutional marks of exclusion continue to shape immigrant experiences in the city. The author’s methodology combines documentary research, map analysis, official records, and oral history, adopting an interdisciplinary approach. It is concluded that the work contributes to debates on identity, inequality, and urban belonging in contemporary Brazil by demonstrating how the city’s sanitary past is deeply intertwined with the ethno-racial and territorial dynamics that continue to structure urban life in Brazil.