Psychosocial implications of covid-19 in traditional fishing communities: the struggle of artisanal fisherwomen in Brazil

Brazil confronted the Covid-19 pandemic in a context of precariousness, putting many lives at risk, especially among vulnerable groups such as black and brown women living in traditional fishing communities. The aim of this study was to explore the psychosocial implications of processes of subjectivation and enunciation of artisanal fisherwomen living in fishing communities in Brazil during the Covid-19 pandemic. We mapped these processes between March and November 2020 through the lens of these women’s discursive narratives and dialogues and using information and content produced by the Observatory Group on the Impacts of Coronavirus on Fishing Communities and public social media. Our findings reveal psychosocial implications ranging from ethical-political suffering (violence, environmental racism, invisibility, lack of assistance) to the ethics of otherness and solidarity (social support, friendship, collective grief and political struggle).

Keywords
Vulnerable populations; Fishing grounds; Covid-19; Psychosocial impact; Grieving