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How was mutual aid being conceptualized during its proliferation in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic? A critical phenomenological analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID6077029
AuthorsDanielle Maude Littman (0000-0002-5708-4511, University of Denver, corresponding author), Karaya Morris (University of Denver), C Riley Hostetter (0000-0002-0981-7194, University of Denver), Madi Boyett (0000-0003-1983-1077, University of Denver), Kimberly Bender (0000-0001-6659-6140, University of Denver), Brendon T Holloway (0000-0001-5126-9606, University of Denver), Brendon Holloway (University of Denver), Annie Zean Dunbar (0000-0001-8402-6256, University of Denver), Sophia Sarantako, Sophia Sarantakos (University of Denver)
Year2023
Volume31
Issue2
Pages193-214
Publication date2023-04-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Community Practice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1070-5422 • E-ISSN: 1543-3706
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10705422.2023.2210136
OpenAlexW4375862948
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited18

Mutual aid, a longstanding practice among socially marginalized communities, has proliferated as a widespread form of collective care amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and compounding crises. We used critical phenomenological methods to understand how participants (N = 25) who engaged in mutual aid in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic conceptualized mutual aid, and how their social identities intersect with their conceptualizations. We found that conceptualizations of mutual aid fell upon a spectrum; some participants (who primarily held privileged social identities) saw mutual aid as a temporary crisis response, which was similar to traditional aid, and could be adjunctive to government support. Others (who tended to hold more marginalized social identities) saw mutual aid as an ongoing support mechanism which was explicitly different than traditional aid and should be separate from government structures. Our research offers insight into mutual aid at a moment of compounding crises and little studied increase in mutual aid. We invite mutual aid groups to consider how their understandings of their work fall upon this spectrum and offer resources for political education in mutual aid work

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Government (linguistics · Interpretative phenomenological analysis · Mutual aid · Pandemic · Political science · Politics · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Community Health and Development · Disaster Management and Resilience · Law · Medicine · Social Work Education and Practice

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Unique citing works8
Citations per year2,67
Citation span2023 - 2025 (3)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 8
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