NECROPOLITICS AND GRIEF: THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AS A PROLONGED DISASTER

Abstract

The present work deals with the experience of mourning in people affected by the loss of a loved one, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It defends the understanding of the pandemic as a prolonged disaster, with an articulation with the concept of necropolitics. In order to achieve the outlined objectives, a literature review was carried out centered on four thematic axes: the COVID-19 pandemic; necropolitics as a government plan; finitude and mortality; and contributions of Psychology to the context of Emergencies and Disasters. A qualitative research was also carried out, with four people impacted by the death of loved ones due to COVID-19 being interviewed. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and all respondents signed an Informed Consent Form. The collected data were treated through Content Analysis. The results indicate that the loss of a loved one is related to the attachment patterns established throughout life, and that the grieving process is accompanied by numerous secondary losses, which require a re-elaboration of the roles extinct with death. In addition, the way in which the losses occurred played an important role in each interviewee's perception of grief, as death in the pandemic occurred, for the most part, within the ICUs. Farewell funeral rites were banned to contain the spread of the virus, which also deeply impacted the moment of goodbye. None of the victims had the opportunity to be vaccinated, which corroborates the consensus that the delay in the vaccination process had serious repercussions for the Brazilian population. Thus, the central position of Psychology is highlighted not only in acting in disaster contexts and in caring for bereaved survivors, but also its inseparable political responsibility in the face of the effects of necropower.