Quilombola communities in Rio Grande do Sul, the pandemic, and necropolitics

Abstract

This article maps the main conflicts involved in access to social protection rights by the quilombola population during the health crisis caused by Covid-19 in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, based on the monitoring of three communities. We investigated the literature and government guidelines related to laws and social programs targeting this population which were created during the pandemic period. Excerpts from interviews conducted via videoconference or messaging application with leaders from territories in two regions of the state are presented; we also gathered information from research platforms on epidemiological data for the quilombola population in Brazil and RS and on the collective mobilization of Black and quilombola movements for vaccination. We conclude that food security, health care, jobs, and the legal and administrative needs of the communities were the social aspects most affected by the health crisis. These dimensions were considered due to their links to the historical dismantling of public policies and systematic violations of the rights of quilombola communities, reflected in studies on the health of the Black population and the concepts of necropolitics and the state of exception.elocation-id: e2230107Received: 11.29.2021 • Accepted: 03.03.2022 • Published: 04.07.2022Original article / Blind peer review / Open access