Being Human During COVID-19

"Editors have given us an excellent new collection of essays with fresh, global perspectives on the sociology and politics of the pandemic... This collection stands out for demonstrating the value of collaborations across disciplines and for presenting so many new insights on the pandemic’s interaction with structural inequalities and the multifaceted implications for excluded and marginalized communities."

"This collection has many strengths. It stands out for demonstrating the value of collaborations across disciplines and for presenting so many new insights on the pandemic’s interaction with structural inequalities and the multifaceted implications for excluded and marginalized communities." New Genetics and Society

“There has never been a more important time to think about questions of what it means to be human. This book is a challenging read, inviting readers to consider the breadth of people’s experiences during COVID-19, and is thought-provoking for post-pandemic times.” Jenny Fisher, Manchester Metropolitan University

Paul Martin is Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of the iHuman Research Institute at the University of Sheffield.

Warren Pearce is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Sheffield.

Stevienna de Saille is Research Fellow at the iHuman institute at the University of Sheffield.

Kirsty Liddiard is Senior Research Fellow in the School of Education at the University of Sheffield.

Introduction - Paul Martin, Stevienna de Saille, Kirsty Liddiard and Warren Pearce

Part 1: Knowing Humans

1. Making Models into Public Objects - Rokia Ballo and Warren Pearce

2. Pandemics, Metaphors and What It Means to Be Human - Brigitte Nerlich

3. The Role of Everyday Visuals in ‘Knowing Humans’ During COVID-19 - Camilla Mørk Røstvik, Helen Kennedy, Giorgia Aiello and C.W. Anderson

4. Humans, COVID-19 and Platform Societies - Stefania Vicari and Zheng Yang

5. Managing Pandemic Risk in an Interconnected World: What Planning a Wedding Shows about Early Responses to the COVID-19 Outbreak - Carlos Cuevas-Garcia

Part 2: Marginalized Humans

6. Imperilled Humanities: Locked Down, Locked In and Lockdown Politics During the Pandemic - Dan Goodley and Katherine Runswick-Cole

7. “Why Would I Go to Hospital if It’s Not Going to Try and Save Me?”: Disabled Young People’s Experiences of the COVID-19 Crisis - Kirsty Liddiard, Katherine Runswick-Cole, Dan Goodley and the Co-Researcher Collective: Ruth Spurr, Sally Whitney, Emma Vogelmann, Lucy Watts MBE and Katy Evans

8. Science Advice for COVID-19 and Marginalized Communities in India - Poonam Pandey and Aviram Sharma

9. Pandemic: Satire and Human Hierarchies - Tanya Titchkosky

Part 3: Biosocial Humans

10. Genomic Medicine and the Remaking of Human Health - Paul Martin

11. Frailty and the Value of a Human in COVID-19 Times - Dawn Goodwin, Cliff Shelton and Kate Weiner

12. “I’ve Got People’s Spit All over Me!”: Reflections on the Future of Life-Saving Stem Cell Donor Recruitment - Ros Williams

13. Science Told Me (But I Couldn’t See Its Point) - Rod Michalko

Part 4: Human Futures

14: Where Will an Emerging Post-COVID-19 Future Position the Human? - Keren Naa Abeka Arthur, Effie Amanatidou, Stevienna de Saille, Timothy Birabi and Poonam Pandey

15. (Genome) Editing Future Societies - Michael Morrison

16. Inclusive Education in the Post-COVID-19 World - Anna Pilson

17. From TINA to TAMA: Social Futures and Democratic Dreaming in the Ruins of Capitalist Realism - Paul Graham Raven

Conclusion: Thinking about ‘the Human’ during COVID-19 Times - Paul Martin, Stevienna de Saille, Kirsty Liddiard and Warren Pearce