The Covid-19 Pandemic and Alienation

The Covid-19 crisis has created a unique opportunity to focus on global-level social conditions which have shaped a wide range of experiences in both work and private life that may be regarded as alienating in nature. The results of Covid-19 research from sociological and socio-psychological perspectives have shown that the pandemic—not simply as a public health crisis, but rather as a profound social crisis—has triggered new forms and experiences of inequality, stigmatization, social exclusion, isolation, meaninglessness, mistrust, powerlessness, anxiety, and depression. This, in turn, makes it possible to speak about the emergence of new forms of alienation along its classical lines—alienation from work, from the other, from nature, and from self—but under radically changed social conditions. This type of situation is especially fruitful for creating circumstances that trigger new theoretical developments, enrich the methodological and empirical foundations of alienation theory and research, and contribute to laying the foundation of pandemic research as a new sociology, or at least a new sociological field. It will be necessary, however, to contrast such results with other empirical findings that lend support to the hypothesis that a pandemic, as a common threat, leads to increased cooperation, integration, mutual help, and compassion. Interdisciplinary and comparative contributions regarding experiences of alienation both throughout the pandemic and at its various stages—such as “outbreak,” “first wave,” and second wave”—are especially welcome.