Call for Papers: COVID-19 and Society

Posted Date: 2020-07-01
Expiry Date: 2020-07-30

Intersections. East European Journal of Society and Politics (IEEJSP) invites original research papers for its thematic issue on COVID-19 & Society (edited by Júlia Koltai, Márton Karsai, and Bence Ságvári).

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly altered many aspects of how societies function, with both fundamental short-term and very likely long-term effects. Massive disruption to normal life, the introduction of social distancing measures, the dramatic reduction of in-person interaction, and the hibernation of economic life are becoming the collective experience of hundreds of millions of people all over the world. Social science has globally found itself in a troubled situation: there is an unprecedented and instant need for novel information and guidance for understanding the current situation; however, such real-time diagnosis usually contradicts the logic of how scientific knowledge is generated. Overcoming this paradox represents a true challenge for all (social) scientists these days, but we are also witnessing an unfortunate, large-scale social experiment, in relation to which a thorough analysis of current social changes might also lead to the development of new theories and methodologies. And this opens up unique opportunities for scientists.

Intersections.EEJSP, a multidisciplinary social science journal, is inviting papers that touch upon the social implications of this unprecedented moment. We are looking for papers based on empirical research, particularly with quantitative and qualitative data collected during the pandemic, but theoretical and critical commentaries on longer-term implications are also welcome.

In general, we are open to any topic related to the social, economic, and political perspective on COVID-19, with a special emphasis on Eastern and Central Europe in a global context. We are particularly interested in data-driven and theoretical approaches and related novel research methods which make sense of links between natural and social sciences. Therefore, multidisciplinary papers based on the collaboration of social scientists and non-social scientists (biologist, physicists, epidemiologists, mathematicians, computer scientists, etc.) will be highly appreciated.

Topics may also include:

  • The social context of contagion
  • The spread of new behaviors, and changing nature of social contacts and mobility
  • Economic, social, spatial, and health inequalities during and after the pandemic
  • Labor market impacts, emerging new divides among workers
  • The social and psychological effects of home office and home-schooling practices
  • Solidarity actions and their consequences, including changing gender roles
  • Fear and trust. Media polarization, and the role of social media during the pandemic
  • Political reactions to the crisis, changes in governance and legislation
  • The changing language of public discourse: linguistic and communication-related consequences of the pandemic
  • Spread of misinformation and acceptance of verified information in society

We encourage scholars to submit an abstract of 600-800 words describing the main question(s) and finding(s) of the paper, together with the applied methodology (if relevant), along with a short bio, by 30 July to the editors (Sagvari.Bence@tk.mta.hu). Authors will receive feedback from the editorial team by 15 August. The deadline for submitting final papers is 30 November. The issue is scheduled for publication in summer 2021.

New users should register at http://intersections.tk.mta.hu/index.php/intersections/user/register

For author guidelines, please consult: http://intersections.tk.mta.hu/index.php/intersections/about/submissions#authorGuidelines

Intersections. East European Journal of Society and Politics (IEEJSP) is a peer-reviewed journal that promotes multidisciplinary and comparative thinking on Eastern and Central European societies in a global context. IEEJSP publishes research with international relevance and encourages comparative analysis both within the region and with other parts of the world. Founded by the Centre for Social Sciences of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest, IEEJSP provides an international forum for scholars coming from and/or working on the region. The Journal is indexed by CEEOL, ERIH, Google Scholar, and Scopus. It has been ranked Q2 (for 2019) by ScimagoJR.