finally, in the 1960's the term 'favela' entered the terminology of the social sciences, marking a new era of studies and understanding.

the important study SOCIAL SCIENCE REPRESENTATIONS OF FAVELAS IN RIO DE JANEIRO: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE, by Licia do Prado Valladares addresses the use of the terms for favelas, pointing out that banlieue, bidonville, ghetto, slum, taudis do not have the same meaning everywhere, and that one should beware of semantic conversions and generalizations -  In fact it seems that the systematic use of such words ends up stigmatizing neighborhoods situated at the bottom of the hierarchical system of places that compose the metropolis and it also ends up endorsing the idea of a direct link between territory, identity and  commitment.