A pandemic revealing another : Colombian indigenous women in the national COVID-19 discourse

During the last years, Colombia has put an effort in formally achieving higher levels of equality in the country which is particularly visible through the National Development Plan (2018-2022). The spreading of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, magnified those inequalities that the Plan is supposed...

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Autor principal: Gallisai, Francesca
Formato: H2
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: SLU/Dept. of Urban and Rural Development 2021
Materias:
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author Gallisai, Francesca
author_browse Gallisai, Francesca
author_facet Gallisai, Francesca
author_sort Gallisai, Francesca
collection Epsilon Archive for Student Projects
description During the last years, Colombia has put an effort in formally achieving higher levels of equality in the country which is particularly visible through the National Development Plan (2018-2022). The spreading of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, magnified those inequalities that the Plan is supposed to challenge by showing not only their ubiquity but the mechanisms through which they can be exacerbated in crises situations. By drawing on feminist postcolonial theory and implementing discourse analysis to engage with policy and public discourse that include concerns for Colombian indigenous women under the pandemic, the purpose of this study is to contribute to discussions on how politics (in this case related to the pandemic) can reinforce gendered and ethnicized oppressions. In order to develop this qualitative study, empirical material was collected from eleven written and oral sources issued by international organizations, research institutes, national and local indigenous organizations, and indigenous representative bodies. Three main problematic discourses arise from the analysis: the portraying of indigenous women as passive subjects which contrasts with the description of indigenous peoples as active in the face of the challenges brought by the pandemic; the overwhelming focus on the vulnerability of indigenous women thereby contributing to normalizing their view as powerless and voiceless, even in sources aiming to address gendered power differentials; and finally, a narrative of inclusion in decision-making processes that appears to potentially become double folded: on one hand, it can foster inclusion, on the other, if not coupled with institutional change, it can lead to the reproduction of those oppressions it aimed to challenge.
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spelling RepoSLU170592021-08-21T01:01:25Z A pandemic revealing another : Colombian indigenous women in the national COVID-19 discourse Gallisai, Francesca COVID-19 gender ethnicity Colombia discourse Analysis feminist postcolonial theory During the last years, Colombia has put an effort in formally achieving higher levels of equality in the country which is particularly visible through the National Development Plan (2018-2022). The spreading of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, magnified those inequalities that the Plan is supposed to challenge by showing not only their ubiquity but the mechanisms through which they can be exacerbated in crises situations. By drawing on feminist postcolonial theory and implementing discourse analysis to engage with policy and public discourse that include concerns for Colombian indigenous women under the pandemic, the purpose of this study is to contribute to discussions on how politics (in this case related to the pandemic) can reinforce gendered and ethnicized oppressions. In order to develop this qualitative study, empirical material was collected from eleven written and oral sources issued by international organizations, research institutes, national and local indigenous organizations, and indigenous representative bodies. Three main problematic discourses arise from the analysis: the portraying of indigenous women as passive subjects which contrasts with the description of indigenous peoples as active in the face of the challenges brought by the pandemic; the overwhelming focus on the vulnerability of indigenous women thereby contributing to normalizing their view as powerless and voiceless, even in sources aiming to address gendered power differentials; and finally, a narrative of inclusion in decision-making processes that appears to potentially become double folded: on one hand, it can foster inclusion, on the other, if not coupled with institutional change, it can lead to the reproduction of those oppressions it aimed to challenge. SLU/Dept. of Urban and Rural Development 2021 H2 eng https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/17059/
spellingShingle COVID-19
gender
ethnicity
Colombia
discourse Analysis
feminist postcolonial theory
Gallisai, Francesca
A pandemic revealing another : Colombian indigenous women in the national COVID-19 discourse
title A pandemic revealing another : Colombian indigenous women in the national COVID-19 discourse
title_full A pandemic revealing another : Colombian indigenous women in the national COVID-19 discourse
title_fullStr A pandemic revealing another : Colombian indigenous women in the national COVID-19 discourse
title_full_unstemmed A pandemic revealing another : Colombian indigenous women in the national COVID-19 discourse
title_short A pandemic revealing another : Colombian indigenous women in the national COVID-19 discourse
title_sort pandemic revealing another : colombian indigenous women in the national covid-19 discourse
topic COVID-19
gender
ethnicity
Colombia
discourse Analysis
feminist postcolonial theory