Covid‐19 in Brazil in an era of necropolitics: resistance in the face of disaster

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a massive disaster in Brazil, causing more than 350,000 deaths as of April 2021. Moreover, President Jair Bolsonaro suggested that already marginalised groups should take what came to them, as if they were an expendable surplus in his necropolitical perspective. However, civil society initiatives are emerging to tackle the impacts of this crisis. This paper adds to current literature on the forms and levels of resistance to disasters, using primary and secondary data pertaining to three key Brazilian groups: domestic workers; the urban poor in favelas; and indigenous Amazonians. The analysis indicates that their historical, political resistance has been a foundation upon which to develop disaster mitigation and their actions have built on and gone beyond previous modes of organising. More specifically, their responses have replaced a 'present-absent' federal government, entailed local, innovative adaptations, led to new public-private sector relations, and may offer the prospect of consolidation.

What to Learn from Vulnerable Regions for Healthy Cities: Extracting Embedded Components of Covid-19 Practices

“…They launched the Health and Happiness without Corona (Com Saúde e Alegria Sem Corona) campaign to deliver resources (ambulance services and the like) to riverside communities during the pandemic (Figure 10). They also produced and distributed masks in partnership with other local civic organisations (Cavalcanti Muniz et al, 2021).…”

“…Another alternative community-based organisation is FENATRAD, an old community of trade unions that played an important role in the struggle of domestic workers by informing them about their rights and organising seminars and conferences. It organised online events and national campaigns alongside traditional union activities to combat the pandemic (Loewenson et al, 2020;Cavalcanti Muniz et al, 2021) (Figure 17). In China, the Shimo Document website enlisted the help of many volunteers to fill information gaps and create a health facilities directory in Wuhan by compiling lists of experts with various backgrounds (e.g., doctors, social workers, psychologists) to provide information and coordinate resources for treatment seekers (Chen, 2020).…”

Brazil's Yanomami health disaster: addressing the public health emergency requires advancing criminal accountability

“…During the COVID-19 outbreak, marginalized groups were treated as “expendable surplus” by the previous federal administration ( 3 ), and violence against Indigenous peoples has soared, especially in the Amazon Region ( 4 ). As a result of that, in addition to the unprecedented levels of deforestation, illegal mining, logging, poaching, and land grabbing in Indigenous territories (which increased, in general, by 137% under Bolsonaro's administration in 2020 alone) ( 5 ), public health and epidemiological indicators for Indigenous peoples in Brazil have considerably worsened ( 6 ), especially after the new coronavirus outbreak in early 2020 ( 7 ).…”

From Need to Power, Entrepreneurship in G10 Favelas - (RE) Knowledge and Intelligibility of Alternative Social Practices

“…Thus, the present research aims to contribute to deepening the theme 'social entrepreneurship' in favelas, from the Brazilian experience of the 'G10 Favelas', which, according to Muniz, Ferradas, Gomez and Pegler (2021), starts in Paraisópolis and then forms a network of favelas to support new emerging business ideas in different places in the country. Gilson Rodrigues as G10 coordinator is known as the 'Mayor' of Paraisópolis (Caseff, 2020).…”

“…Gilson Rodrigues as G10 coordinator is known as the 'Mayor' of Paraisópolis (Caseff, 2020). Muniz et al, (2021) point out that during the pandemic derived from the new Coronavirus (COVID-19), G10 Favela actions gained prominence considering community mobilization. The choice of the name "G10" was based on the G7 and the G20 (economic bloc of world leaders, of the richest countries) and brings together the leaders of the 10 largest favelas in Brazil, being: Rocinha -RJ, Rio das Pedras -RJ, Heliópolis -SP, Paraisópolis -SP, Cidade de Deus -AM, Baixadas da Condor -PA, Baixadas da Estrada Nova Jurunas -PA, Casa Amarela -PE, Coroadinho -MA and Sol Nascente -DF.…”