In this article, we explore a new category of analysis that we have called “discounted deaths,” with which we seek to examine forms of dying occurring outside the scope of the triple meaning of the term “to count”—i.e., deaths that did not count, deaths that were not counted, and deaths for which there was no account. To do this, we look at the empirical case of elderly people who died in Madrid's nursing homes during the first wave of the pandemic, between March and May 2020. Compared to other affected groups, theirs were deaths that were deemed tolerable. People who died in nursing homes were first excluded from the assistance mechanisms available under the health emergency and then buried in solitude, away from their loved ones, who were not made aware of their situation until they were in their final moments. [coronavirus, death, account, old age, Madrid]
: En este texto trato de analizar la aparición del diagnóstico de cáncer dentro del entorno social de la persona afectada, valiéndome para ello de tres puntales: 1/ la irrupción de la enfermedad como acontecimiento dentro de la vida de la persona afectada; 2/ el desarrollo de un proceso de identificación posterior; y 3/el ideal de persona sana como unidad de análisis derivada de todo lo anterior, entendiendo como tal a un individuo normativo y autónomo respecto al cual la persona diagnosticada asimila su nueva posición. La articulación de estos tres elementos, junto a otros componentes desarrollados en torno mi situación como persona familiarizada con el proceso estudiado, han sido factores determinantes en el desarrollo de una metodología paralela: una primera labor auto-etnográfica desarrollada durante y después de mi propia vivencia, acompañada por la ulterior realización de entrevistas en profundidad en base a la idea de relato biográfico. Teniendo en cuenta tres escalas sociales: la esfera íntima, el grupo de socialización primario y la institución hospitalaria.
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