This is what it looks like when globalization collapses. The political and economic disasters brought about by COVID-19 – a crisis of our own making – have exacerbated pre-existing social problems: disinformation is spreading like bushfire; marginalized refugees have been abandoned by Europe, Roma are being over-policed, the homeless under-served, LGBTQ people outed and ousted, sex workers scapegoated. The crisis has been abused to silence press and public dissent, and as vaccination progresses, questions of global justice are intertwined with health crises.
But this unprecedented situation also offers a chance to fundamentally restructure our economies, rethink how we work altogether, appreciate what is really essential, and put social connections up front and centre.
Eurozine looks into the political and cultural factors behind the COVID-19 pandemic and reports from the frontiers.
Illustration by Andreas Töpfer with thanks to Vagant.no Andreas Töpfer/Vagant.no
