Neglect and Resistance in Brazil’s Pandemic

This article uses the lens of neglect to analyze Brazil’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It argues that the neglect of COVID-19 was the result of a mixture of omissions, obstructions and actions on the part of the federal government and President Jair Bolsonaro. It also suggests that addressing Brazil’s handling of the pandemic as simply a matter of governmental failure risks overlooking the multiple forms of resistance and struggle that emerged as social forces mobilized and sought to push back against the state’s neglect.