Toward a post-COVID-19 Sociology

The  surreal  atmosphere  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  has  exposed  fault  lines  in trust among human beings, among countries, between citizens and governments, and it is pushing  us  to  raise  big  questions  about  ourselves, our social relationships,  and  life generally.  And  this  crisis  i...

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Bibliographic Details
Author: Hanafi, Sari
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2020
Country:Brasil
Institution:Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE)
Repository:Revista de Estudos Antiutilitaristas e Poscoloniais
Language:Portuguese
OAI Identifier:oai:oai.periodicos.ufpe.br:article/247827
Online Access:https://periodicos.ufpe.br/revistas/realis/article/view/247827
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:COVID-19
pandemic
sociology
pandemia
sociologia
Description
Summary:The  surreal  atmosphere  of  the  COVID-19  pandemic  has  exposed  fault  lines  in trust among human beings, among countries, between citizens and governments, and it is pushing  us  to  raise  big  questions  about  ourselves, our social relationships,  and  life generally.  And  this  crisis  is  not  just  limited  to  public  and  environmental  health  or  the economy –what  we  are  witnessing  is  a  moment  of  truth  regarding  the  crisis  of  late modernity  and  its  capitalist  system  on  a  broad,  overarching  scale. Tasks  are of  two  sorts: ones that are urgent for now, and others that are important for tomorrow. First, in order to  unpack  the  social  origins  and  to  understand  the  magnitude  of  the  impacts  COVID-19 has had, and continues to have,  to understand how the upward  curve of infection can be flattened,  to  gain  insight  as  to  how  to  deal  most  effectively  with  the  consequences  of social distancing, and to properly study the immediate measures required to alleviate the consequence  for  those  who  have  lost  their  work,  it  is  urgent  for  scientists  in  all  fields  to collaborate with one another. Second, we need to understand the conspiracy theories and fake news around COVID-19, and to seek ways of mitigating the increasing discrimination  against  foreigners  and  refugees,  including  rising  stereotypes  against Chinese, and to those being accused for “bringing the virus”. This global crisis may have prompted  fresh  strategies  to  reinforce  exploitation,  dispossession,  and  our  neoliberal capitalism, and increased the reach of our greed and selfishness, but it has also given us an  opportunity  to  explore  and  provide  new  way  of  understanding  and  reclaiming  our social justice and humanity.