Originating in the popular Sociología en Cuarantena blog, this volume provides a detailed and multifaceted analysis of the social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain.
This book originates in the great upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic when the unprecedented announcement of global lockdowns paralysed the world and put social relations on hold. In response, a loose collective of sociologists, historians and philosophers from various Spanish universities began to share their reflections on the pandemic on the Sociología en Cuarantena blog. This book takes some of those thoughts and delves deeper into the recurring themes as they relate to the Spanish experience of the pandemic. The chapters in the first part of the book address the social and political context of the various measures put in place by the government to deal with the health, economic and social effects of the pandemic. Subsequently, several chapters examine how the pandemic led to important reflections on uncertainty and authority in processes of scientific knowledge production. Other chapters analyse the effects of the pandemic on demographics, the organisation of care, the education system, the organisation of work and the recognition of essential workers, immigration policies and the digitalisation of society. Collectively, the contributions call into question the narrative of exceptionalism that views the pandemic as a singular event that is uniquely responsible for the present situation of uncertainty and instability. They also draw attention to the fragility of social prestige and trust in neglected and weakened public institutions, as well as identifying a growing socio-political polarisation that may be highly significant in the future.
This collection will appeal to students and researchers with an interest in contemporary Spain and the socio-political effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Introduction: The pandemic and social change
Andrés Pedreño, Carlos de Castro and Marta Latorre
The pandemic, deglobalisation and world society
Julio A. del Pino and Héctor Romero
The bureaucratic strength of neoliberalism
Carlos de Castro
The sociology of the State of alarm: legitimisation and dispute during the COVID-19 in Spain
Andrés Pedreño
"Everything will be alright": emotion rules, the institutional framework and social mobilisation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
Miguel Ángel Sánchez and Marta Latorre
Right now: history will be public, or it will not be
Jesús Izquierdo
Science in action: controversies and public knowledge during the COVID-19 pandemic
Juan Manuel Zaragoza
Part II
A socio-demographic look at the pandemic
Juan Carlos Solano
A care system in crisis: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender equality
Isabel Cutillas and Natalia Moraes
The growth of precarious employment for women in the care work sector during the COVID-19 pandemic
Paloma Moré and Raquel Martínez
11. Social division of labour, recognition and contempt in the health crisis
Antonio J. Ramírez and Andrés Pedreño
12. The impact of Covid-19 on the Spanish education system
Daniel Turienzo, Jesús Rogero and Vicente Díaz
13. Human mobility, immigration and racism in times of syndemic
Natalia Moraes and Isabel Cutillas
14. COVIDigital: new virtual spaces and digital habits for a transformed sociability
Gaspar Brändle and Salvador Manzanera
15. Conclusions: "Fear is not the State"
Andrés Pedreño, Carlos de Castro and Marta Latorre
