Sociology of Pandemic

This online conference is supported by the University of South Florida, the “Università degli Studi G. Marconi” of Rome, Italy and ISA RC47

Organizers: Dr. Simone Maddanu (USF) and Pr. Emanuele Toscano (Università degli Studi G. Marconi).

Call for Papers

In the midst of chaotic uncertainty, alarms, skepticism and mistrust, we are observing the assertion of the ethical superiority of public health, common good and the collective interest. In some way, we are witnessing the essential role of science, technology, rational management policies and effects control which are all accompanied by a new governance that alternates or reinforces lockdowns, mask mandates, movement limitations, real-time location tracking, and vaccine mandates.

In contrast, others see unprecedented restrictions on freedom – enabled by new technological tools. Rejection of such limitations and biopower-control lies in a more or less supported criticism against institutional policies, scientific practices (including data collection) and their practical applications, and media risk production. These critics have no specific geography but are certainly arising in opulent Western countries and cannot always be dismissed as merely populist.

The Pandemic has revealed the limits of self centered disciplines, in both natural and social sciences. Current global challenges now, more than ever, require a cross-disciplinary joint effort to measure, interpret, explain, and address planetary crisis – i.e. climate change, pandemic, global inequalities. This conference aims to bridge over incomplete analysis and misunderstandings about the pandemic and its causes, governance, and effects. By positing a new inclusive argumentative dimension that we shall rename “Sociology of Pandemic”, we are willing to incorporate different scientific analysis and approaches– quantitative as well as qualitative, technical as well as humanitarian. By using own appropriate methods and concepts, we look for contributions that source their data on diverse disciplines, from biology to political science, from environmental studies to philosophy, from statistics to media studies, from medical studies to sociology etc.

Cross-disciplinarity being one of the scopes of this conference, priority will be given to contributions that will bring original, specialized, and accurate analysis in an accessible way for a larger public of academics and students of different disciplines.

The conference will be organized in 4 sections. Each Panel will include a chair and four speakers selected through the call.

For consideration, we invite you to send a long abstract (between 500 and 800 words) to smaddanu@usf.edu or e.toscano@unimarconi.it by May 31st 2022. The email must contain a statement of interest in participating in, at least, one specific panel. Best papers might be considered for a collective publication.

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