The coronavirus has brought science back to the centre, including in countries where populist leaders used to delegitimize it. Epidemiologists, medical doctors and biologists bring us hard facts: the pandemic progresses every day; it is far worse than a “strong flu” and takes thousands of lives on all continents. Social scientists have come up with facts that are as hard and as unquestionable: while the virus itself is a biological agent that may infect each of us, we are deeply unequal when confronted to it. Public health policies and social inequalities matter at least as much as the way our bodies react to it when it comes to the virus’ deadly consequences. They have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic is not only a sanitary crisis. It is also a social and political crisis, and should be treated as a moment of rupture that will bring major change in our lives, our societies and our world. While often sidelined by policy makers, social sciences contributions in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic have been as important as, and in many ways complementary to, hard sciences.
The aim of this ISA website is thus to gather critical analyses and perspectives from different standpoints and from all continents, to foster dialogue among the community of sociologists and to point to their contributions in dealing with the challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic and the way it paves the way for alternative futures that may come out of it. We will gather international webinars and series of texts set by the ISA, by our Research Committees, Working Groups or Thematic Groups and by our National Sociological Associations.

Web platform adress: https://www.isa-sociology.org/en/publications/isa-digital-worlds/global-sociology-and-the-coronavirus