Spatial distance, social distancing: Relationships between different social categories in brazilian society in covid-19 times

Abstract

One of the current forms of servitude, domestic work is highlighted by the high demand for children and elderly care, recognized as an es-sential service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Few categories have been so affected by the health and social crisis associated with COVID-19 due to its insecurity – labor, wages, exposure, and vul-nerability – in the face of the pandemic. Based on ethnographic data from doctoral research carried out in 2011 on a network of nannies, who some-times acted as domestic workers, and in dialogue with the care theory literature, we discuss how the experiences of social distancing were expanded by the COVID-19 pandemic and update the dynamics that operate in the relationships between different social categories in Brazilian society, fo-reseeing what may be a new element in the exis-ting social interaction. In conclusion, we discuss the so-called cultures of servitude, highlighting that, in these cases, servitude does not imply rigi-dity, but plasticity, which makes affection become a commodity that values Latin American domestic workers differently in the labor market, where this characteristic is a comparative advantage that boosts the affection market.