CALL FOR PAPERS 2020-21

Covid-19 Pandemic:  Causes, Complexities and Consequences

Date: 12-13 February, 2021

 Concept Note:

2020 would go down in the history of the world as a year ravaged by Coronavirus. The new Coronavirus which was first reported in China in 2019 and came to be named as Covid-19 by World Health Organisation has now spread to all the four corners of the earth. With its footprint across continents, the trail of devastation it left behind has acquired multi-faceted dimensions. Millions of people have been infected so far and several thousands have died, and the number continues to rise each day.

Due to its highly contagious nature, nation-states began to shut their borders. The government of India announced nation wide lock-down for 21 days on 24th March, which came into effect from 25th March, 2020. This national lock-down resulted in almost every household shutting its doors to outsiders. The effect following the shutdown was colossal. Travellers got stranded. Economic life came to a halt in varying degrees. The poor and the sick suffered tremendously. This impact is not a stand-alone experience of India; similar experiences were felt world-wide. Simultaneously, the world also witnessed the healthcare sector doing their best to provide treatment and care despite the deadly nature of the virus and losing many of those serving in the forefront. The scientific community across the nations have been working tirelessly to find a vaccine. The civil society and the common people have also contributed in many ways to alleviate the pain and trauma of the times. 

The pandemic has exposed the multi-layered inequalities and differences embedded in our world. Some governments imposed severe national lock-down while other imposed it only at a regional level; some governments imposed graded lock-down while others did not follow such a pattern. In some cases, the government tried lock-down, but the citizens did not cooperate well. The spread of the virus was subdued certain locations while in certain other places, a huge number of people got affected, and continue to be so. Effective and efficient health policy decision in some nations also made a significant difference in controlling the spread of the virus. Thus, there are some matters that require critical engagement. Is there a relationship between the severity of the lock-down and the containment of the virus? Which kind of policy implementation bore positive results? Despite the different social and economic condition, can we arrive at the best practices which may be applied worldwide? At hindsight can we unearth the grounds or realities that appeared to have been overlooked due to which lock-down did not work as desired?

If the immediate result of Covid-19 was catastrophic for the health sector, lock-down imposed by the government to arrest multiplication of cases was equally devastating. Millions of people lost their jobs. Economy shrunk significantly. As the lock-down was prolonged, cases of domestic abuse and vulnerability of school going children to early marriage, trafficking and child labour increased. These realities can have long lasting impact on social stability.  Therefore, these emerging social conditions require serious analysis and proficient response to mitigate the potential damage it can cause on the society.  On the other side, the government’s response to coronavirus and the lock-down that caused economic slowdown was diverse and complex. Some governments rushed to find early vaccine to counter the threat while simultaneously trying to revive the economy through fiscal and monetary measures. The race for vaccine has made China and Russia grant approval, in limited measure though, without having completed the normative phases of trial. Meanwhile, news emerged saying that the richer governments have pre-purchased the vaccines on trial even before they hit the market, leaving poorer ones to potentially feel the impact of the pandemic for longer duration. This has led WHO chief to call for the prevention of ‘vaccine nationalism’. However, the race to find the vaccine and buy them all raise ethical questions: Is it morally right for richer nations to buy them all? Does such measure engender trust deficit on vaccine in general? Beside this predicament, the government’s economic policy to revitalise the economy requires attention. Does the damage of the economy demand robust fiscal measures to boost demand or must government limit its spending to prevent swelling of government debt? Have the measures introduced so far led to a V shape recovery, or is it rather sluggish? Would the pandemic amplify the already existing economic and social fault lines between different classes, castes and power structures? In light of foreseeable social fissures how do we want power equations and resources distribution be reconfigured?  What are some ways to mollify the inequalities arising out of this pandemic?

In the thick of organising one’s life during this pandemic, one disturbing question that cannot be left unanswered is whether some governments have deliberately undermined the civil rights of the citizens or whether undermining of the civil rights was the collateral damage of such pandemic. If it appears that government has taken advantage of the situation to undermine civil and human rights of the citizens, what evidences can one present? What steps may be taken so that civil and human rights of citizens are protected with stronger constitutional measures? What are the moral obligations government must cultivate to ensure stable polity, and how must one reinforce such ethos? Along these matters, it is important to examine the emerging dynamic in international relations following the slowdown of all the major economies in the world.

Given such momentous disarray to our individual and collective life, it is worth documenting and examining the causes of the pandemic, its effect, the responses to the virus and the ramifications of the responses. Inquiries into these issues keeping in mind the perspective provided above and an analysis that is shaped by Christian faith will enrich our understanding of social, economic and political structure and lead us towards ensuring a society that is more stable and just. To that end Theological Research and Communication Institute (TRACI) invites scholars and activists across different academic disciplines to write papers with an inter-disciplinary approach. The list of the theme below is only suggestive in nature and is not exhaustive. Participants are welcome to explore topics that interest them based on the theme of the conference.

  1. Conspiracy theories: Human-made virus or natural?  
  2. Transmission of Covid-19 and its containment.
  3. Differential mortality rate between different societies: Causes and nature
  4. Dignity in death or lack thereof.
  5. Lockdowns: Features and Efficiency
  6. Job loss: Causes and effects
  7. Dissent during pandemic.
  8. Covid19 and its effect on social and political economy.
  9. Government and Migrant Workers: Challenges, Failures and Achievements.
  10. Politics in the manufacturing and distribution of vaccine.
  11. Pandemic and social action in church history.
  12. Education, digital divide and social exclusion.
  13. Lockdown and domestic violence.
  14. Social distancing and mental health.
  15. The effect of lock-down on the poor and the most vulnerable.
  16. Perspectives on public health policy.
  17. Realignment of international relations in the wake of Covid-19.
  18. Healthcare and frontline workers and the politics of PPE and sacrifice.
  19. Stories of hope and inspiration

Important Dates and information:

Conference Date: 12-13 February, 2021. 

Last Date for Abstract Submission: 30th November, 2020.

Last date of Full-length Paper Submission: 5th February, 2021.

No registration fee.

Abstract Submission:

Abstracts not exceeding 250-300 words on any of the aforesaid themes and a brief biographical statement in a word doc format should be sent to traci.conference@gmail.com by 30th November, 2020.  Phone: (+91) 9821949211.

The abstracts selected by the organiser will be notified to the author through email on or before 5th December, 2020.

Submission Guideline:

  1. Papers for the conference must conform to the word limit of approximately 3500 words along with an abstract of 250-300 words.
  2.  Provide 3-6 key-words at the end of the abstract.
  3.  Do not quote from Wikipedia.
  4. Authors are requested to follow Chicago Manual style for the purpose of referencing. Use footnotes instead of endnotes.
  5. Authors are requested to use TIMES NEW ROMAN font throughout the text.
  6.  Line spacing should be “1.5”.
  7. Paper should be submitted only in MS-Word format.
  8. Plagiarised materials or articles submitted or published elsewhere will not be accepted.
  9. Selected papers will be published as a book with ISBN number.
  10. Editors of the conference may edit the manuscripts for clarity and reduce the length of the paper if it exceeds the word limit.

Venue: E-537, TRACI (Theological Research and Communication Institute), Greater Kailash-II, New Delhi or Zoom. Depending on the situation, intimation will be made at a later stage.