“No foreigner feels part of the country they live in”: everyday life of migrants and refugees in Brazil through the lens of occupational therapy and embodiment processes

Abstract

Introduction: Migration is a complex economic, political and social phenomenon that impacts the daily life and corporeality of people. Objective: To analyze the daily life of migrated and refugee people in Brazil based on the dialogues with occupational therapy and the processes of corporeality. Methodology: Qualitative method and analysis of the life stories of 14 migrant and refugee people in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, through the Collective Subject Discourse (CSD). Results: Two CSDs were constructed: cultural differences and identity transformations; and subalternization and racialization of bodies, from which aspects of differences and cultural transformations, belonging, prejudice and discrimination were addressed, which cross the daily life of the migrant and refugee person. The migratory process causes transformations and confrontations of identities and corporealities, indicating propositions of occupational therapy that consider the cultural contexts and the rupture of daily life. The concept of "body-territory" explores the relationship between identity, migration and customs, in which the body (of the) migrant becomes a space of cultural and identity negotiations. The subalternization and racialization of the bodies of migrants hinder their integration and belonging, evidenced by structural racism. Conclusion: The migratory phenomenon implies the re-signification of identity, corporeality and daily life. Through the concept of bodyterritory and intersectionality, it is possible to understand how social markers, such as race, gender and class, structure inequalities. In this context, critical and emancipatory occupational therapeutic practices strengthen support networks and promote social inclusion, enabling the reconstruction of lives, in addition to contributing to fairer and more humanized public policies.