De Gruyter has just published a collection of twelve essays from leading social scientists on the Corona pandemic as a free digital pamphlet. 12 perspectives on the pandemic: International social science thought leaders reflect on Covid-19 brings together leading scholars from around the world to create a snapshot of social science thinking on issues like past pandemics, mounting global inequality, the impact on health and tourism, and changing requirements of welfare states.
In her essay, Professor of Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies at the University of Sussex Gurminder K. Bhambra criticizes that European states’ increasing reliance on foreign-trained doctors, nurses and medical staff during the crisis could amount to a second “colonial drain.” Anthony Elliott, Professor of Sociology at the University of South Australia, counters the often-voiced claim that the Corona crisis effectively marks the end of our era of peak globalization, arguing that the world will remain highly interconnected in many respects. Analyzing the situation in Hubei province, Distinguished Professor of Applied Linguistics at Macquarie University, Sydney Ingrid Piller emphasizes that due to the Corona crisis, decision makers can no longer ignore the linguistic disadvantage of minority speakers around the world.
Gerhard Boomgarden, Editorial Director Social Sciences, said: “The world is changing as a result of the coronavirus and it’s vital that social scientists, with their focus firmly on how societies function, should have a say in that change. This pamphlet provides a virtual space for key thinkers in that field to begin these conversations, observe the zeitgeist, draw breath. We hope it will become a useful part of the academic response to the global crisis.”
The pamphlet is part of the publisher’s growing focus on its international social science program and is available for download here: https://www.degruyter.com/fileasset/craft/media/doc/DG_12perspectives_socialsciences.pdf.
