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Paper short abstract

Brazil is one of the countries most heavily affected by Covid-19. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews with people who lost relatives due to Covid-19 in Brazil, and who have become politically active as a result, this paper discusses how grief is transformed into political action.

Paper long abstract

Brazil is one of the countries most heavily affected by Covid-19. Bereavement has led to the emergence of new civil society organizations, forms of memorialization, and local initiatives. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and in-depth interviews with people who lost relatives due to Covid-19 in Brazil, and who have become politically active as a result, this paper discusses how grief is transformed into political action. In the necropolitical context of the pandemic, policy measures concerning life and death were such that many deaths occurred under traumatic circumstances, while delayed vaccination campaigns evoked the sense that many deaths could have been prevented. For my interlocutors, a sense of meaninglessness and injustice prevailed. I discuss their experiences and objectives in becoming politically active, and show that transforming grief into political action is not only a way to collectively share experiences and support, or to demand recognition and justice in society, but also a way to maintain their loved one’s presence. In so doing, I underscore the power and agency that may result from shared losses as they bring forth change and action.