Decolonial visual resistance as a public health strategy in post-María Puerto Rico

Abstract

In this article, we explore the use of the image as a strategy to understand how natural disasters and coloniality impact the health of marginalized communities. We focus on the aftermath of Hurricane María in Puerto Rico and aim to describe how local people used the image as a strategy to challenge the invisibility fostered by coloniality and advocate for a more humane, equitable and effective public health response. We implemented a mixed methods research design including: (1) ethnographic observations, (2) qualitative in-depth interviews with 67 representatives of the health care system, (3) photographs they had taken as part of their experiences during and after the hurricane and (4) images from local newspapers and social media. In light of the findings we argue that Puerto Ricans engaged in decolonial visual resistance to manage the aftermath of the hurricane. Thus, while surviving the natural disaster, they challenged the traditional use of the image in public health endeavours.

El Sur Distorsionado como un cambio paradigmático para el metal y su estudio

“…Durante el año 2017 Puerto Rico sobrepasó los efectos del Huracán María, que se estima dejó 4645 personas muertas ante su paso (Kishore et al, 2018). Esa cifra de muertes fue negada vehementemente por los gobiernos coloniales de la isla y el aparato imperial de los Estados Unidos (Varas-Díaz, Padilla, et al, 2022). Esos muertos, ante la oficialidad, no existían.…”

Puerto Rican physician’s recommendations to mitigate medical migration from Puerto Rico to the mainland United States

“…Physician migration accelerated in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017. The storm, coupled with long-term divestment in the health sector, led to the death of thousands of people and a generalized collapse of the health system [29] , [49] . Indeed, the already-existing shortage of physicians willing and able to provide services in disaster situations contributed to the collapse [38] .…”