Necropolitics and the impact of COVID-19 on the Black community in Brazil: a literature review and a document analysis

Abstract This study discusses to what extent the inclusion, or not, of the race/color variable in epidemiological analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic can work as an external manifestation of necropolitics and as a producer of health inequities. We conducted a literature review on 09 articles, and on Scientific Electronic Library, PubMed and Virtual Health Library databases. We also conducted a documental analysis on 27 epidemiological reports from all the federal states and the Federal District of Brazil. We did not see much information regarding race/color, which can be interpreted as an intentional omission in order to hide those who the epidemics affects the most. The denial of basic and fundamental rights is the element that characterizes the larger racist structure of Brazil’s COVID-19 policies.

摘要 本研究探讨在新冠肺炎（COVID-19）大流行的流行病学分析中纳入或排除种族/肤色变量，在何种程度上可作为死亡政治（necropolitics）的外在表现，以及健康不平等的催生因素。本研究针对9篇文献开展文献综述，检索数据库涵盖科学电子图书馆（Scientific Electronic Library）、PubMed及虚拟健康图书馆（Virtual Health Library）。此外，本研究针对巴西所有联邦州及联邦特区的27份流行病学报告开展文献分析。研究发现，相关文献中关于种族/肤色的信息寥寥无几，这可被解读为一种刻意的遗漏，旨在掩盖疫情影响最严重的群体。对基本权利与根本性权利的剥夺，正是巴西新冠肺炎政策中系统性种族主义结构的核心特征。