[CFP] Life Matters: Transoceanic Americanist Perspectives on the Human Condition in the Age of Pestilence — RIAS Vol. 16, Fall–Winter (2/2023)

2022-12-05

Call for Papers
LIFE MATTERS
Transoceanic Americanist Perspectives
on the Human Condition in the Age of Pestilence
RIAS Vol. 16, Fall–Winter (2/2023)

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a drastic loss of human life worldwide. An unprecedented challenge to the human existence and survival on the global level in the post-World War-II history, the pandemic caused devastating economic and social disruption. Over six million people died, countless others lost their jobs, often falling into extreme poverty, thousands of businesses folded. Suicide statistics skyrocketed; the count of isolation-related depression cases has never been higher, and mental health, especially among the youngest, has become imperiled. The impact of the pandemic has been so abrasive that human perceptions of the essence of life have undergone an enormous transformation. And although the Ruscist invasion of Ukraine has diverted the world's attention from the pandemic, millions of people world-wide continue living under the constant threat of the virus. Beyond doubt, the experience of the pestilence affected everyone. Yet, a renewed focus on the fundamental truths of life, such as survival, livelihood, human dignity, and basic human rights, much as many a government would prefer to avoid it, is an absolute necessity. (Click here to read the full CFP)