Experiences of citizenship in precarization: An ethnography from northern Colombia in the time of COVID-19

Abstract

This article is the result of qualitative research on current ways of being a citizen in northern Colombia during the era of COVID-19. In a region characterized by impoverished communities, the study area becomes a privileged place in which to understand how communities in so-called “developing countries” face a pandemic with their local resources. To place the reader, we discuss the history of this place, the town of Taganga, located in the city of Santa Marta in northern Colombia. Likewise, its culture and social structure are described, as well as the current situation related to access to electricity, water, garbage collection, and food. The article shows how, through local means, today's communities seek to establish settlements with essential services, such as water and electricity, without any relationship with the state.

Keywords

• Pandemic
• Poverty
• Environmental crisis
• Immigration
• Caribbean
• South America