Post-Pandemic Inequalities in an Age of Global Capitalism

In previous crises, states intervened where markets had failed. COVID-19 was an entirely different order of magnitude. Here the goal was to suspend, through state directive, much of the social activity necessary for economic functioning. Unlike the pre-pandemic period, once the threat posed by the virus was evident, governments magically found a way to pay for all kinds of programs and supports previously ‘impossible’. The array of state interventions to replace lost income for both workers and employers brought to the fore fundamental questions regarding the prevailing social and economic order. Could not work and production be organized to meet basic human needs for food, shelter, decent employment, and health care? Four decades later, neoliberalism is still standing. In fact, ‘post-pandemic’ insecurity has strengthened the grip of ruling classes worldwide. Though extreme inequalities, precarity of job tenure and poverty all predate the pandemic, the public policies facilitating their growth have gained new momentum. The post-COVID-19 era is characterized by crises of unprecedented proportions surrounding production and reproduction, climate change and the coalescence of structural inequalities and cyclical instabilities that are equally characteristic of capitalism. Alternate Routes and Sapienza Università di Roma invite individual paper and panel submissions for our conference and special issue Call For Papers. Topics may include but are not limited to: Imperialism and Colonialism; Race, Gender and Other Disparities; Inequality and (De)Democratization; Austerity and the State; Digital Economy; Platforms and Gig Work; Labour and Social Movements; Populism and Political Regroupment; Transnational Actors and Global Governance; Climate Change and Just Transitions. To submit your proposal, please click HERE or visit www.alternateroutes.ca. A selection of papers will be considered as part of a special issue publication of Alternate Routes: A Journal of Critical Social Research. Conference Registration Fees: Permanent Faculty €200; Contract Faculty and Graduate Students: €150. Inquiries can be sent to: [email protected]