Clases de emociones. La experiencia subjetiva de la pandemia de covid-19 en sectores populares del Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic unleashed emotions linked to the loss of social ties, fear of death and confinement to the domestic space. After the health emergency, feelings of despondency, anguish, anxiety or depression were major after-effects. These emotions, although widely shared, are experienced, recounted and dealt with in different ways depending on the social location of the subjects. In this article, we propose to carry out a qualitative analysis of the emotions in pandemics in low-income sectors, considering the following dimensions: how they relate and elaborate their experiences; which events trigger sadness, fear or anguish; which actors (family, media, work) predominate in the accounts; what social, economic and cultural resources are brought into play in the face of these situations. The report incorporates contributions from the sociology of emotions, as well as reflections on the qualitative interview as a method for recovering such elusive material. The work pays special attention to the differentiated forms of experience and emotional management of men and women from popular sectors. The study is based on eight in-depth interviews, included in a long-range project carried out in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires.