What World is This? A Pandemic Phenomenology by Judith Butler

 What World is This? A Pandemic Phenomenology by Judith Butler is a short, but dense and erudite essay on our world and the realit

y where we live in published by Columbia University Press. A world that it is becoming thanks to us not anymore good for living a great existence: so the urgence to rethink our life-style, our way of living, being less egoist and more projected to the creation of a best world in grade to protect us and vice-versa. 

But the pandemic created also other conditions: isolation first of all, impossibility of hugging, touching other people, impossibility to stay close to strangers like also family members or friends in a social situation, in a bus, in a train, because of the fear of a virus in grade of killing and also because of lockdowns as well. If isolation has brought all of it, there is a psychological aspect also: responsibility. The possibility of being the vector for other people of a virus in grade of killing them of course induced all of us at paying attention during our daily gestures and acts. Superficialities in these cases can be synonime of death.

And what happened socially or politically? 

The reopening has meant some people back to work with an elevated risk of dying, catching the virus, more important than not for other ones: and considering that a pandemic is global, mourning for unknown people, was another aspect. Mourning for example for the people dead in Northern Italy, writes Judith. We didn't know them but we mourn for an existence that passed away. 

It's up to us remembering and sharing with others what happened during the pandemic times.

Highly recommended book.

I thank Columbia for the physical copy.

Anna Maria Polidori