The Multifaceted Dimensions of Racism: An Intersectional Analysis on the Impacts of Necropolitics in Brazil

Abstract

This article aims to provide an intersectional analysis of the reverberations of racism in Brazil, particularly in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, taking into account the intersecting factors of race, class, and gender. Drawing upon socio-political and economic analyses of the country, the research incorporates a bibliographic survey and media analysis, focusing specifically on health data related to the black population during the pandemic. The study employs concepts from philosophers, such as Foucault and Mbembe, along with insights from media personalities, to elucidate the impacts of necropolitics in Brazil. The findings reveal that this segment of society faces exacerbated challenges due to the dismantling of public services that should guarantee their basic rights as citizens. Consequently, mechanisms such as state coercion, police actions, and the judicial system perpetuate and reinforce state-sanctioned racism. The article highlights how the pandemic has become yet another tool “to kill” and illustrates the nexus between these circumstances and Mbembe's concept of necropolitics. Furthermore, it discusses the previous government's negligence towards the population's needs, prioritizing economic interests at the expense of social well-being. This raises critical questions regarding the practices within the field of psychology, specifically whether they align with ethical commitments grounded in the socio-political, economic, and social contexts to promote rights-based practices or inadvertently contribute to exclusionary dynamics, thus perpetuating necropolitical systems.