The pandemic of the Forgotten: strategies of endurance among deprived groups in Ibero-America during the COVID-19 emergency

Call for chapter proposals. Edited volume Helsinki University Press (HUP). Extended Deadline January 29, 2023.

The pandemic of the Forgotten: strategies of endurance among deprived groups in Ibero-America during the COVID-19 emergency. Helsinki University Press (HUP). David Ramírez Plascencia (University of Guadalajara) and David Dalton (University of North Carolina at Charlotte) invite abstracts for the edited collection The pandemic of the Forgotten: strategies of endurance among deprived groups in Ibero-America during the COVID-19 emergency, which will be submitted to Helsinki University Press (HUP). The University press area has already expressed great interest in the project.

The irruption of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 has brought several negative impacts on the world economically, socially, and in the realm of public health. Governments were forced to establish quarantines and other similar preventive measures to slow the expansion of the virus, people were required to work from home, and students continued their education virtually. Despite numerous efforts, both public and private, the effects of the pandemic were terrible: economic recession and inflation; the massive closure of companies; and, in many countries, a massive loss of jobs. According to World Health Organization, there have been about 600,000,000 identified cases of Covid-19 and 14.9 million people have died either directly or indirectly because of the virus. That said, the effects go much further. For example, many of those fortunate enough to have avoided infection have confronted mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Covid-19 has differed from past pandemics because its outbreak appeared among a digitally interconnected background. Digital media allowed people to follow the expansion of the pandemic almost in real time and in first person. Many people broadcasted their experiences live on social media, while government officials and international organizations provided reliable information in a timely fashion. During the early months of the health emergency, the pandemic was a principal trending topic in digital and traditional media. It also became an important topic of academic production. Indeed, researchers explored all facets of the disease: from the development of a vaccine to the relationship between the pandemic and the rise of oppressive regulations and measures across the globe. Beyond this omnipresence of the pandemic in the mediatic coverture, little attention was given to those forgotten members of society.

Here we refer to those who lived in a deprived situation. Many were racial and ethnic minorities, people marginalized due to their gender or sexuality, refugees, sex workers, disabled people, essential workers (drivers, medical, staff farm workers), elderly citizens living in nursing homes, mentally ill, homeless, etc. This edited book looks for contributions on relevant cases from Ibero-America (Latin America, Spain, and Portugal) that discuss the negative impact of the pandemic on forgotten members of society from marginalized groups. Possible topics include but are not limited to public repression, negligent attitudes, xenophobic attacks, negative media framing, human rights violations, labor exploitation, etc. Other topics include the strategies that marginalized individuals and communities employed to weather the economic, social and health challenges of the pandemic. Comparative studies related to past pandemics and historical studies focused on marginalized groups under a pandemic context are very welcomed as well.

We are particularly interested in those proposals that focus on describing the resilience mechanisms developed by these groups. These may include examples of street and digital mobilizations, the use of social media to create solidarity, local and international solidarity networks, the role of social organizations and community initiatives, etc. We are open to receiving proposals from multidisciplinary, comparative, and historical approaches. You are warmly invited to provide a document with a brief bio (no more than 250 words with titles, affiliations, and contacts) and an abstract (500-750 words).

Please send the proposal to the following addresses: (davidrapla /at/ gmail.com) and (david.dalton /at/ uncc.edu)

Deadline January 29, 2023