This project examines migration and precarious living conditions in the greater Lisbon area, and how they clash with political narratives while questioning what future remains available for younger generations.

My interest stems from observing how European cities are rapidly transforming demographically and urbanistically through gentrification. I approach this transformation as a series of interconnected chapters.

Through theoretical research, I investigate migration and precariousness as outcomes of structural inequality, political neglect, and economic systems rather than individual responsibility. The project focuses on the self-built Portuguese neighborhoods of Bairro da Penajóia and Raposo in Almada, across the river from tourist-driven Lisbon. It is contextualized through post-revolutionary housing crises, colonial legacies, and contemporary labor and housing policies. Drawing on historical sources, sociopolitical studies, and media analysis, I examine how migration is repeatedly instrumentalized as a scapegoat for systemic failure.

Methodologically, the work operates through two platforms. The first is long- term photographic fieldwork in Penajóia and Raposo, using slow observational photography to emphasize construction materials, spatial compression, and the lack of basic resources such as water and electricity. The second combines staged imagery shaped by conversations with residents and media narratives with archival material, particularly As Armas e o Povo (1975), revealing that the first bidonvilles were built by Portuguese citizens during the dictatorship.

My position challenges narratives that blame immigrants for social collapse. Precariousness is produced by structures, not by people. With a minimum wage of 920€ and rents starting at 800€ for 50m², instability is becoming a shared condition. The project questions how the surrounding area of Lisbon is increasingly shaped for wealth and tourism while its residents are displaced, silenced, and erased.