COMBAT, SACRALIZATION AND HEROISM: NURSING IN COVID-19 MURALS

COVID-19 has given rise to multiple forms of representation and identity projection in health professions. This study analyzes mural paintings dedicated to nursing during the pandemic to understand the configurations of professional identity that are (re)produced in such artworks. Exploring these pieces and their dense metaphorical content evinces iconographic arrangements with distinct and seemingly paradoxical meanings. Prominent among them are the biomilitarist constructions that portray nursing as a heroic battle against the pandemic and the representations that depict it as a nearly divine vocation, guided by the sacred imperative of caring for patients. These clusters of meanings contain concepts of heroism and the glorification of nursing associated with warlike and angelic ideals grounded in extensive historical roots. Although they seem manifestly contradictory, these ideals complement each other, shaping an ambivalent identity synthesis of nursing as vigorous fight against disease and virtuous care for the sick.

Keywords:
Nursing; Identity projections; Mural paintings; Covid-19