Theoretically Controlling the "Terror of the Uncontrollable": Using Baumann's Repertory for Understanding Social Insecurity and Fear in the Contemporary Pandemic Context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47152/ziksi2022038Keywords:
Zygmunt Bauman, pandemic, covid-19, horrors of the uncontrollable, fluid seriesAbstract
One of the most important parts of Bauman's (Zygmunt Bauman) general theory about the late modern, i.e. fluid society is the attitude of people towards different sources of fear and insecurity, which in the modern context are more pernicious, different and global, but by no means weaker compared to pre- modern times. The main goal of this paper is to present the most important parts of Bauman's theory that can serve us as a theoretical, but at the same time general, contextual framework in which we place and investigate the sociological and psychological consequences of the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus. The first part of the paper is an introduction to Bauman's theoretical assumptions with an emphasis on the analysis of the "Titanic Syndrome". In the second part of the paper, we will argue why exactly that segment of the legacy of the Polish sociologist is valid for understanding the pandemic situation, and why Bauman's theory should not be bypassed when it comes to choosing a theoretical framework for studying contemporary challenges in the field of health culture.
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