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In Attention to Pain: Governance and Bodies in Brazil.

Laurie Denyer Willis
Published in: Medical anthropology (2020)
Ethnographies of bodies have become entry points for understanding the sensorially rich ways that worlds are generated and lived. Here, I adduce a slow-paced ethnographic mode that centers how bodily pain and touch orient attention, with a focus on gendered and racialized violence in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. In doing so, I make explicit the expectation in Rio's urban governance that resilience means toughening through pain. In turn, I detail how Pentecostal practices of 'healing touch' link pain and hope together, demonstrating the religious work, care, and governance involved in producing and maintaining hope under conditions of violence.
Keyphrases
  • chronic pain
  • pain management
  • neuropathic pain
  • healthcare
  • mental health
  • palliative care
  • global health
  • quality improvement
  • depressive symptoms
  • social support