COVID-19 and the Long Revolution

Authors

  • Chad Van De Wiele University of Illinois at Chicago
  • Zizi Papacharissi University of Illinois at Chicago

Keywords:

liminality, carceral capitalism, revolution, COVID-19

Abstract

 Recent events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed deeply embedded structural inequities within the United States, triggering national dialogues around institutional racism, carcerality, and the logic of neoliberalism. While our reckoning with these structures continues to unfold and remix in unpredictable ways, we offer a theoretical lens for understanding this moment. Using the concept of liminality, we argue that a long revolution has been activated through a state of suspended order; specifically, with our routines disrupted to mitigate fallout from COVID-19, we have been afforded limited space for recognizing these structures and the linkages among them. Here, we engage with carceral capitalism to make sense of present conditions. As we move through the long durée, forging new structures and patterns, it is crucial to remember that which we must abandon: the systems and tools of subjugation that remain inconsistent with how we live and, more importantly, how we want to live. 

Author Biographies

Chad Van De Wiele, University of Illinois at Chicago

 PhD Candidate and NSF-IGERT Fellow, Department of Communication 

Zizi Papacharissi, University of Illinois at Chicago

 Professor and Head of Communication, Professor of Political Science 

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Published

2021-02-13

Issue

Vol. 15 (2021)

Section

Features

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