FROM THE 17TH CENTURY PESTES TO THE 21ST CENTURY PANDEMIC IN RECIFE: URBAN LIFE REGULATIONS AND CHALLENGES TO THE RIGHT TO THE CITY

This article analyzes measures and regulations adopted to cope with diseases that have plagued the city of Recife in an extensive way, at different moments in the city's history. It seeks to demonstrate that the power relations that are expressed through the action of the State, in its function of regulating the life of the city, are intertwined with the relations of knowledge in force and produce concrete impacts on society, some of which challenge the right to the city. It adopts the historical method, contemplating matters of law, public policy and medical knowledge, and chooses four most expressive moments in the history of Recife, when epidemics and pandemics hit the city: at the end of the 17th century, with the yellow fever epidemic;in the middle of the 19th century, with the return of this epidemic, followed by the cholera-morbid epidemic;in the early 20th century, with the Spanish flu pandemic;and, currently, in the 21st century, with the pandemic of COVID-19. Based on historical, academic and technical studies and documents, it contributes to highlight similarities and distinctions of processes that a long time approach provides, alerting to the possibility of the persistence of old processes in the new contexts in which a disease affects city life.