Between Distancing and Interdependence: The Conflict of Solidarities in the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Miniatura
Fecha
2021-10
Profesor/a Guía
Facultad/escuela
Idioma
en
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
SAGE Publications Inc.
Nombre de Curso
Licencia CC
Licencia CC
Resumen
In a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19, different national states around the world have introduced strict measures to regulate social interaction that have affected the interdependence of modern societies. In this article, we argue that this handling of the pandemic produces a conflict of solidarities that can be interpreted by expanding Durkheim’s classic formulations (organic and mechanical solidarity) to include the distinction between fragmentary solidarity (based on distancing) and ordinary solidarity (based on empathy and equal treatment). The conflict is triggered precisely by the introduction of fragmentary solidarity. Through this conceptualization, we identify different paradoxes and problems that the pandemic poses for present-day society and analyze how it attempts to overcome them through a generalization of ordinary solidarity. The paper concludes that the conflict of solidarities that characterizes the pandemic is not a passing phenomenon. Its anchorage in the complexity and interdependence of contemporary technological, social, and natural conditions points to its persistence.
Notas
Indexación Scopus
Palabras clave
COVID-19, division of labor, fragmentation, globalization, interdependence, nation-state, social differentiation, solidarity
Citación
Sociological Perspectives Volume 64, Issue 5, Pages 706 - 725 October 2021
DOI
10.1177/07311214211005492
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