Protection. Trust. Reconciliation?! Pandemic reflections in times of “Social Long-COVID”
About the project
The pandemic has left its mark—not only in medical and therapeutic terms, but also in social and political terms. The crisis of confidence in political parties, the state, and institutions, which is visible everywhere, can be interpreted as an expression of “social and political Long-COVID.” The pandemic has exposed the limitations of the idea of a state that provides for everything and minimizes the risks of life for the individual.
The failure to date to take a multi-perspective and forward-looking approach to dealing with the pandemic, particularly with regard to decision-making, implementation, and communication with the population, has contributed significantly to the current crisis of confidence. A striking example of this was the conversation between Thea Dorn and Karl Lauterbach in the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit” (Die Zeit, No. 3, January 16, 2025) on the fifth anniversary of the first coronavirus infection in Germany, which oscillated between being uncomprehending and hardly conciliatory.
The overarching goal of this project is to outline and highlight the contours of this “social Long-COVID.” We are concerned with diagnosing the current situation and communicating how the crisis is being handled. We expect that this will allow us to draw conclusions about resilient statehood and society, i.e., the ability of the public sector to act in times of crisis. With regard to issues of communication and conflict management, it is also about regaining trust.
Our project will capture and reflect a dual perspective through structured interviews with contemporary witnesses and group discussions: it will give a voice to both decision-makers and experts who were involved in pandemic policy, as well as young adults (students and trainees) who were affected by this policy. The project will give them the opportunity to reflect on the reality and impact of the pandemic. The greatest weaknesses and pain points identified, remembered, and named by the contemporary witnesses outline areas for reform and reveal the need for action at various levels. At the same time, they will open up the intellectual space to renegotiate our understanding of the state—and thus our expectations of it. The project aims to identify critical points of interaction between science, politics, and society that are closely linked to the loss of trust in science, government, and politics and are therefore essential for strategies to restore trust.
In order to bring communication and analysis of the coronavirus crisis into society and allow it to participate, an interactive installation will be created, curated and realized by the University of Göttingen's “Forum Wissen” (Knowledge Forum). It will make the results of the interviews and group discussions conducted as part of the project accessible in the form of selected short statements (“original sound bites”). At the same time, passersby will also have the opportunity to reflect on and share their personal experiences from the coronavirus period.
Cooperation Partner
- “Forum Wissen” at the University of Göttingen: Dr. Sandra Potsch
- COVID-19 Research Network Lower Saxony (COFONI); Co-Chair of “Long-/Post-COVID-19-Research”: Berthold Vogel.
