Solidarity in the Time of COVID-19: Refugee Experiences in Brazil

Authors

  • Patricia Martuscelli University of Sheffield

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.40874

Keywords:

refugees, Brazil, solidarity, social conscience, COVID-19

Abstract

Refugees have adopted solidarity actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, even after being left behind during health emergencies. This article contributes to the literature on solidarity and asylum by discussing refugees’ solidarity narratives towards vulnerable Brazilian groups, the refugee community, and the Brazilian population in general. The author conducted 29 in-depth semi-structured interviews with refugees living in Brazil between March 27 and April 6, 2020. Refugees’ past suffering experiences make them more empathic to other people’s suffering due to the pandemic, which creates an inclusive victim consciousness that seems to explain their solidarity narratives towards different groups.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biography

Patricia Martuscelli, University of Sheffield

Patricia Nabuco Martuscelli is a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Sheffield. She can be reached at p.nabuco.martuscelli@sheffield.ac.uk

References

ACNUR. (2020, November 26). Refugiados somalis retribuem atos de gentileza no país onde foram acolhidos [Somali refugees reciprocate acts of kindness in the country where they were hosted]. https://www.acnur.org/portugues/2020/11/26/refugiados-somalis-retribuem-atos-de-gentileza-no-pais-onde-foram-acolhidos/

Alam, H. (2021). Political borders are not natural orders—The COVID-19 pandemic in Frankfurt on the Main and its refugees. European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 7(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.26417/961ynp98j

Alio, M., Alrihawi, S., Milner, J., Noor, A., Wazefadost, N., & Zigashane, P. (2020). By refugees, for refugees: Refugee leadership during COVID-19, and beyond. International Journal of Refugee Law, 32(2), 370–373. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijrl/eeaa021

ANSA. (2020, March 31). Refugees express solidarity with Italians in times of coronavirus. Infomigrants. https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/23771/refugees-express-solidarity-with-italians-in-times-of-coronavirus

Bauder, H., & Juffs, L. (2020). “Solidarity” in the migration and refugee literature: Analysis of a concept. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 46(1), 46–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2019.1627862

Bentley, J. A., Mohamed, F., Feeny, N., Ahmed, L. B., Musa, K., Tubeec, A. M., Angula, D., Egeh, M. H., & Zoellner, L. (2020). Local to global: Somali perspectives on faith, community, and resilience in response to COVID-19. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(S1), S261–S263. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000854

Betts, A., Easton-Calabria, E., & Pincock, K. (2020). Refugee-led responses in the fight against COVID-19: Building lasting participatory models. Forced Migration Review, 64, 73–76. https://www.fmreview.org/issue64/betts-eastoncalabria-pincock

Cavicchioli, G. (2020, April 21). Refugiado sírio doa 900 marmitas para idosos durante pandemia [Syrian refugee donates 900 lunchboxes to elderly people during pandemic]. Yahoo Notícias. https://br.noticias.yahoo.com/refugiado-sirio-doa-900-marmitas-194610701.html

CONARE & Obmigra. (2020). Resumo Executivo. Refúgio em Números, 5ª Edição. https://www.justica.gov.br/seus-direitos/refugio/anexos/RESUMOEXECUTIVO_REFGIOEMNMEROS.pdf

Delfim, R. (2020a, May 4). Em meio a lacunas, ações de imigrantes e refugiados contra a pandemia ganham destaque [Amid gaps, actions by immigrants and refugees against the pandemic gain prominence]. Migramundo. https://www.migramundo.com/em-meio-a-lacunas-acoes-de-imigrantes-e-refugiados-contra-a-pandemia-ganham-destaque/

Delfim, R. (2020b, June 22). No Dia do Refugiado, ONG formada por imigrantes entrega cestas básicas a 270 famílias em cinco Estados [On Refugee Day, an NGO formed by immigrants delivers basic food baskets to 270 families in five states]. Migramundo. https://www.migramundo.com/no-dia-do-refugiado-ong-formada-por-imigrantes-entrega-cestas-basicas-a-270-familias-em-cinco-estados/

Elcheroth, G., & Drury, J. (2020). Collective resilience in times of crisis: Lessons from the literature for socially effective responses to the pandemic. British Journal of Social Psychology, 59(3), 703–713. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12403

Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, E., & Qasmiyeh, Y. M. (2020). Refugees’ pandemic responses in a Palestinian camp in Lebanon. Current History, 119(821), 349–355. https://doi.org/10.1525/curh.2020.119.821.349

Hakiza, R., Betts, A., Easton-Calabria, E., & Pincock, K. (2020, April 29). Refugee groups fill gaps in COVID-19 response, and they need support. The New Humanitarian. https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2020/04/29/coronavirus-response-refugee-camps-humanitarian-aid

Hargreaves, S., Kumar, B. N., McKee, M., Jones, L., & Veizis, A. (2020). Europe’s migrant containment policies threaten the response to COVID-19. BMJ, 368, Article m1213. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1213

Høffding, S., & Martiny, K. (2016). Framing a phenomenological interview: What, why and how. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 15(4), 539–564. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11097-015-9433-z

Hynes, T. (2003). The issue of “trust” or “mistrust” in research with refugees: Choices, caveats and considerations for researchers (UNHCR Working Paper no. 98). https://www.unhcr.org/research/working/3fcb5cee1/issue-trust-mistrust-research-refugees-choices-caveats-considerations-researchers.html

International Association for the Study of Forced Migration. (2019). IASFM code of ethics: Critical reflections on research ethics in situations of forced migration. Forced Migration Review, 61, 13–14.

Jatobá, D., & Martuscelli, P. N. (2018). Brazil as a leader in the Latin American refugees’ regime. The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development, 4(1), Article 4. https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/agsjournal/vol4/iss1/4/

Jubilut, L. L., Annoni, D., Casagrande, M. M., Lopes, R. O., Yaghsisian, A. M., Kosiak, A. C. C., Haile, A. P., Garcez, G. S., Yamamoto, L., Oliveira, N. R., Martuscelli, P. N., Puccinelli, S. M. M., Cardoso, S. A., & Speranza, Y. M. M. P. (2020). Direitos Humanos e COVID-19: Respostas Estratégicas de Enfrentamento [Human rights and COVID-19: Strategic coping responses]. Universidade Católica de Santos Grupo de Pesquisa “Direitos Humanos e Vulnerabilidades.” https://www.unisantos.br/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Direitos-Humanos-e-Covid-19-Respostas-e-Estrat%C3%A9gias-de-Enfrentamento.pdf

Keller, A. S., & Wagner, B. D. (2020). COVID-19 and immigration detention in the USA: Time to act. The Lancet Public Health, 5(5), e245–e246. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30081-5

Kluge, H. H. P., Jakab, Z., Bartovic, J., D’Anna, V., & Severoni, S. (2020). Refugee and migrant health in the COVID-19 response. The Lancet, 395(10232), 1237–1239. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30791-1

Krystalli, R. C. (2021). Narrating victimhood: Dilemmas and (in)dignities. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 23(1), 125–146. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616742.2020.1861961

Libal, K., & Kashwan, P. (2020). Solidarity in times of crisis. Journal of Human Rights, 19(5), 537–546. https://doi.org/10.1080/14754835.2020.1830046

Lindsay, F. (2020, March 27). The refugees in Cyprus giving back during the coronavirus crisis. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/freylindsay/2020/03/27/the-refugees-in-cyprus-giving-back-during-the-coronavirus-crisis/#1669e3f92fb1

Martuscelli, P. N. (2021). How are forcibly displaced people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak? Evidence from Brazil. American Behavioral Scientist, 65(10), 1342–1364. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642211000402

Mcdonald-Gibson, C. (2020, April 28). Healthcare workers from refugee backgrounds want to help fight COVID-19. One man’s journey shows how that might be possible. Time. https://time.com/5826166/refugees-coronavirus-healthcare/

Noy, C. (2008). Sampling knowledge: The hermeneutics of snowball sampling in qualitative research. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 11(4), 327–344. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645570701401305

Pachioni, M. (2020, April 21). COVID-19: máscaras produzidas por refugiados e migrantes beneficiam abrigos públicos em São Paulo [COVID-19: Masks produced by refugees and immigrants benefit public shelters in São Paulo]. ACNUR Brasil. https://www.acnur.org/portugues/2020/04/21/covid-19-mascaras-produzidas-por-refugiados-e-migrantes-beneficiam-abrigos-publicos-em-sao-paulo/

Prainsack, B. (2020). Solidarity in times of pandemics. Democratic Theory, 7(2), 124–133. https://doi.org/10.3167/dt.2020.070215

Raju, E., & Ayeb-Karlsson, S. (2020). COVID-19: How do you self-isolate in a refugee camp? International Journal of Public Health, 65, 515–517. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-020-01381-8

Riggirozzi, P., Grugel J., & Cintra, N. (2020, June 26). Protecting migrants or reversing migration? COVID-19 and the risks of a protracted crisis in Latin America. Lancet Migration. https://socialprotection.org/sites/default/files/publications_files/188e74_543cbb0400824084abcea99479dfa124.pdf

Samuels, F. (2020, June 2). Tips for collecting primary data in a COVID-19 era. ODI. https://www.odi.org/publications/16977-primary-data-collection-covid-19-era

UN Women. (2020, June 18). Women refugees on the front lines of COVID-19 response. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/6/compilation-women-refugees-and-covid-19

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2020). Global trends: Forced displacement in 2019. https://www.unhcr.org/5ee200e37.pdf

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees & Cátedra Sérgio Vieira de Mello. (2019). Socioeconomic profile of refugees in Brazil. https://www.acnur.org/portugues/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Executive-Summary-Online.pdf

United Nations Regional Information Centre. (2020, April 25). The refugees at the heart of the fight against COVID-19. https://unric.org/en/the-refugees-at-the-heart-of-the-fight-against-covid-19/

Ventura, D. (2015). Mobilidade humana e saúde global. Revista USP, 107, 55–64. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9036.v0i107p55-64

Vince, G. (2020). The world’s largest refugee camp prepares for COVID-19. BMJ, 368, Article m1205. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1205

Vollhardt, J. R. (2015). Inclusive victim consciousness in advocacy, social movements, and intergroup relations: Promises and pitfalls. Social Issues and Policy Review, 9(1), 89–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12011

Vollhardt, J. R., Nair, R., & Tropp, L. R. (2016). Inclusive victim consciousness predicts minority group members’ support for refugees and immigrants. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 46(6), 354–368. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12368

Wilde, L. (2013). Global solidarity. Edinburgh University Press.

World Health Organization. (2021). WHO coronavirus disease (COVID-19) dashboard. Retrieved October 15, 2021, from https://covid19.who.int/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw6575BRCQARIsAMp-ksMsS4pwW8AXkGEwT7PN0DvyKCrbShCYW3NhkERbqy4LEoB8Xv7CjLcaAuNKEALw_wcB

Additional Files

Published

2022-04-29

How to Cite

Martuscelli, P. (2022). Solidarity in the Time of COVID-19: Refugee Experiences in Brazil. Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees, 38(1), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.25071/1920-7336.40874

Similar Articles

<< < 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.