The Covid-19 pandemic has produced an imagery of a global crisis that permeates our everyday life: the highly infectious virus has crossed continents, and has disrupted economic activity, education, cultural life and daily social interactions. It illustrates the role of the social imagery in dramatizing and managing crises: these are not just objective events that occur independently of the historical, social and cultural framework through which they are mediated, narrated and understood. Using the concept of “crisis imageries” as a springboard, we propose to investigate from different angles and in different periods the social, political and historical functions that have caused the pandemics, as well as their representation in the arts and literature. The aim of this seminar is to contribute to the analysis and reflection on the current situation from a longue durée perspective on how the imaginary, past and present, about disease and illness, risk and safety, individual freedom, social control and the common good shape the effects of epidemics in society.

MIAS Madrid Institute for Advanced Study

Coordination: María MORRÁS

Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona), Institut de Cultura,

Icrea Academia, University of Oxford

Organization:

Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona),

Madrid Institute for Advanced Study,

École des hautes études hispaniques et ibériques (Casa de Velázquez, Madrid)

Secretariate: Clémence Genet

E-mail: [email protected]

Tel.: 0034 914 551 580

Event location:

UNIVERSITAT POMPEU FABRA