Social participation of community leaders in a context of social inequality and in the coping of the COVID-19 pandemic: a psychosocial approach

Abstract

This study was conducted within the scope of a broad research-participant project in vulnerable contexts of Baixada Santista, in the coastal region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, which aims at understanding the psychosocial elements of social participation and the involvement of community leaders in a local peripheral village pointing their strengths and weaknesses. This article updates the reflections based on the actions to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, which has aggravated consequences of social inequality. It also systematizes information through Atlas.ti software and analyzes them based on the perspective of Qualitative Epistemology and Thompson’s Depth Hermeneutics (HP). The results indicate that social participation takes place by social organizations. On one side, the fragmentation of local forces and the strengthening of social bond make it difficult to strengthen social participation; on the other side, awareness processes are present in the search for the common good.