Toward a Broader View of Health in the Anthropocene: The COVID-19 Syndemic and the Clash of Cosmographies in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
The continual expansion of developmental frontiers has impacted dramatically upon Indigenous health in Brazil. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in Mato Grosso do Sul, its Indigenous populations were already living in circumstances of environmental degradation, food insecurity, racism, and structura...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Edinburgh Library
2023-06-01
|
| Series: | Medicine Anthropology Theory |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/6909 |
| _version_ | 1797781726672453632 |
|---|---|
| author | Raquel Dias-Scopel Daniel Scopel Esther Jean Langdon |
| author_facet | Raquel Dias-Scopel Daniel Scopel Esther Jean Langdon |
| author_sort | Raquel Dias-Scopel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The continual expansion of developmental frontiers has impacted dramatically upon Indigenous health in Brazil. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in Mato Grosso do Sul, its Indigenous populations were already living in circumstances of environmental degradation, food insecurity, racism, and structural violence. The synergistic interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 virus, other pathogens, and biosocial factors resulted in what Singer (2010) terms as ‘syndemics’. In the case of Mato Grosso do Sul, it brought about a substantial increase in the disease burden of Indigenous Peoples, where child malnutrition, obesity, hypertension, respiratory and parasitic diseases, and maternal mortality appear at higher rates than in the non-Indigenous population. This Research Article discusses the coping and participatory strategies that were employed by Indigenous Peoples early in the pandemic. Efforts by Indigenous Peoples to address the pandemic reveal ‘a clash’ between Indigenous and Colonial cosmographies with regard to notions of the body and health. Considering the Indigenous perspective on the relation between territoriality and health, the analysis highlights asymmetries of power and embodied vulnerabilities and the limits of the Anthropocene as a global perspective. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T00:01:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a10bd5806ad9461a9caf2caeb29b8057 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-691X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T00:01:10Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | University of Edinburgh Library |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medicine Anthropology Theory |
| spelling | doaj.art-a10bd5806ad9461a9caf2caeb29b80572023-07-13T10:29:33ZengUniversity of Edinburgh LibraryMedicine Anthropology Theory2405-691X2023-06-0110212810.17157/mat.10.2.69096909Toward a Broader View of Health in the Anthropocene: The COVID-19 Syndemic and the Clash of Cosmographies in Mato Grosso do Sul, BrazilRaquel Dias-Scopel0Daniel Scopel1Esther Jean Langdon2Fundação Oswaldo Cruz/FIOCRUZFundação Oswaldo Cruz/FIOCRUZUniversidade Federal de Santa CatarinaThe continual expansion of developmental frontiers has impacted dramatically upon Indigenous health in Brazil. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in Mato Grosso do Sul, its Indigenous populations were already living in circumstances of environmental degradation, food insecurity, racism, and structural violence. The synergistic interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 virus, other pathogens, and biosocial factors resulted in what Singer (2010) terms as ‘syndemics’. In the case of Mato Grosso do Sul, it brought about a substantial increase in the disease burden of Indigenous Peoples, where child malnutrition, obesity, hypertension, respiratory and parasitic diseases, and maternal mortality appear at higher rates than in the non-Indigenous population. This Research Article discusses the coping and participatory strategies that were employed by Indigenous Peoples early in the pandemic. Efforts by Indigenous Peoples to address the pandemic reveal ‘a clash’ between Indigenous and Colonial cosmographies with regard to notions of the body and health. Considering the Indigenous perspective on the relation between territoriality and health, the analysis highlights asymmetries of power and embodied vulnerabilities and the limits of the Anthropocene as a global perspective.http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/6909cosmographyindigenous peoplessyndemicscovid-19structural violenceindigenous agency |
| spellingShingle | Raquel Dias-Scopel Daniel Scopel Esther Jean Langdon Toward a Broader View of Health in the Anthropocene: The COVID-19 Syndemic and the Clash of Cosmographies in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil Medicine Anthropology Theory cosmography indigenous peoples syndemics covid-19 structural violence indigenous agency |
| title | Toward a Broader View of Health in the Anthropocene: The COVID-19 Syndemic and the Clash of Cosmographies in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil |
| title_full | Toward a Broader View of Health in the Anthropocene: The COVID-19 Syndemic and the Clash of Cosmographies in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil |
| title_fullStr | Toward a Broader View of Health in the Anthropocene: The COVID-19 Syndemic and the Clash of Cosmographies in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil |
| title_full_unstemmed | Toward a Broader View of Health in the Anthropocene: The COVID-19 Syndemic and the Clash of Cosmographies in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil |
| title_short | Toward a Broader View of Health in the Anthropocene: The COVID-19 Syndemic and the Clash of Cosmographies in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil |
| title_sort | toward a broader view of health in the anthropocene the covid 19 syndemic and the clash of cosmographies in mato grosso do sul brazil |
| topic | cosmography indigenous peoples syndemics covid-19 structural violence indigenous agency |
| url | http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/6909 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT raqueldiasscopel towardabroaderviewofhealthintheanthropocenethecovid19syndemicandtheclashofcosmographiesinmatogrossodosulbrazil AT danielscopel towardabroaderviewofhealthintheanthropocenethecovid19syndemicandtheclashofcosmographiesinmatogrossodosulbrazil AT estherjeanlangdon towardabroaderviewofhealthintheanthropocenethecovid19syndemicandtheclashofcosmographiesinmatogrossodosulbrazil |