NARRATIVES ABOUT DEATH: THE SPANISH FLU AND COVID-19 IN BRAZIL

Abstract

Our aim in this article is to discuss narratives about death in two pandemics, the Spanish flu (1918–1920) and the Covid-19 (2020) in the Brazilian context. The theoretical-methodological design is based on the narrative review of selected bibliography from the Portal de Periodicos Capes, the SciELO collection and on audiovisual narratives on digital platforms about the Covid-19. Both pandemics reveal social inequalities in death, the federal government’s sanitary negligence, underreporting of cases, the fragility of health services, suspension of funeral rites and disruption of daily life. The Spanish flu was more lethal to the young population and newspapers were the privileged space for information. The elderly are the ones who die the most of Covid-19. Digital platforms are, simultaneously, spaces that propagate fake news, expert analysis and narratives that bet on resistance, solidarity and sensibility when facing life and death.