Positions of anarchist activists on state action during the coronavirus pandemic

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7213/psicolargum.44.124.AO08

Abstract

The social distancing health measures implemented by the Brazilian State and other state entities around the world, aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, sparked both support and opposition from various political actors. Considering that anarchism is a political movement characterized by the defense of collective interests and a strong anti-state principle, this study examines the arguments of anarchist activists regarding such health measures, identifying and analyzing their stances and the ways in which the need for collective safety and fears related to the State are expressed in these discourses. To this end, a documentary study was conducted based on texts published on the website of the Brazilian Anarchist Coordination (CAB), produced during the early months of the pandemic, and analyzed using the discourse analysis method developed by scholars of Discursive Social Psychology. Two types of stances were identified in the analyzed documents: one of unequivocal support for social distancing measures and another more ambiguous. In the latter case, although there is no explicit rejection of the measures, there is a suggestion that their implementation was guided by a dictatorial intent on the part of the State, albeit undeclared. The contradiction between the rejection of the State and the appeals for its action reveals an ideological dilemma evident in the discourse of the anarchist group under investigation.

Keywords: Ideological Dilemmas; Discourse Analysis; Statephobia; Politics

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Author Biographies

Pedro de Oliveira Filho, Federal University of Campina Grande

PhD in social psychology and professor at the Federal University of Campina Grande

Luciana Raquel Saraiva Cruz Santos, Federal University of Campina Grande

Graduated in Psychology from the Federal University of Campina Grande

Simone Patrícia da Silva, Federal University of Campina Grande

PhD in psychology and professor at the Federal University of Campina Grande

Renan Silva de Sousa, Federal University of Paraiba

PhD in Social Psychology from the Federal University of Paraíba

Sophia Silva Rodrigues Sampaio, Federal University of Pernambuco

Master's student in psychology at the Federal University of Pernambuco

Brenda Rayssa da Silva Lima, Federal University of Campina Grande

Graduated in Psychology from the Federal University of Campina Grande

Published

2026-03-30

How to Cite

de Oliveira Filho, P., Saraiva Cruz Santos, L. R., Patrícia da Silva, S., Silva de Sousa, R., Silva Rodrigues Sampaio, S., & da Silva Lima, B. R. (2026). Positions of anarchist activists on state action during the coronavirus pandemic. Psicologia Argumento, 44(124), 1466–1480. https://doi.org/10.7213/psicolargum.44.124.AO08