Visions of a Post-Pandemic Future
Lockdown Lessons: Proximity and Distance

Associations, effects, outlooks - what do the Indian author Paromita Vohra, the South Korean professor of philosophy Kwang Sun Joo, the Brazilian artist Rosana Paulino and the German professor of sociology Jan Paul Heisig associate with COVID-19 and the worldwide pandemic in their countries and in a global context?

While the pandemic brought the digital centrestage, it also foregrounded the way in which our lives are now “phygital”, a mix of the digital and physical.

The event industry, and especially live music events, was one of the first sectors of the economy to be shut down in Germany when the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020. Musicians and fans did not let this stop them enjoying shared musical experiences, however. Digital spaces offered refuge during a time of contact restrictions. Which future prospects do they offer?

Throughout the world, especially in Brazil, social media algorithms have contributed to the rise in political radicalism, polarisation, and eroding human relationships. Why are networks keeping people away from each other when they could be bringing them closer together?

In 2020, as measures to contain the corona virus dominated social life, many people began to connect even more online. In an interview Dr Doo-Hun Choi, professor of journalism and broadcasting at Konkuk University in Seoul, speaks about the development of digital rooms in South Korea.

Theatre, dance, music, art, film or literary festivals - the pandemic has forced the creative sector to rethink its relationship with the digital realm. Why going digital is not a bad approach for cultural practitioners in general, explains Indian cultural entrepreneur Rashmi Dhanwani in the following contribution.

During the pandemic, museums opted for more open spaces and drew in a portion of the Brazilian population which is traditionally distant from art. On social media, the user substituted the visitor: actively demanding, provoking, and questioning curatorial strategies.

How do museums remain a place of encounter and exchange - even in a digital, post-pandemic world? An interview with Leeji Hong, curator of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul (MMCA).

How can artistic productions be staged and brought to their audiences when everyone is forced to social distance by the pandemic? Florian Geiger, a dramaturgist and co-founder of the AMP Dance Company, describes an innovative new format that brings dance closer to audiences than ever before – beyond the big city theatres.

The outbreak of the pandemic transformed our daily lives: Within families, at work, during free time and in interactions with each other - we experience ramifications and upheavals everywhere. The definitions of closeness and distance seem to have altered. Srishti Gupta Roy takes a closer look at how and where exactly. The illustrator examines diverse areas of life and artistically implements new proximity and distance behaviour in these spheres.

“Corona Rhapsody” is a contribution to the discussion on the question of what has changed in our society since the pandemic. The photographer Rafael Heygster has captured various scenes of public life and diverse social situations.

There are many sayings and proverbs that we use almost on a daily basis without thinking of the meaning behind them. How do proverbs connect us internationally?

Due to the pandemic, a third of the German workforce is mostly working from home. The concept of “new work” allows for flexible work models and a new work-life balance. David Wandjo, a research fellow in the Globalisation, Work and Production research group at the Berlin Social Science Center, takes a look at the future of the working world.

People never worked remotely as much as they did throughout the pandemic. Now, professionals working from home are just as available as when they were working from the office. In many cases, even more. In the end, what is gained and what is lost when work does not require physical proximity?

Proximity to metropolitan hubs, the political capital, and major cities is always found to be a better guarantor of social justice to the disenfranchised and marginalised than the interiors, especially in India. The pandemic proved this as never before.

In Brazil, the pandemic magnified the social gap between the rich and the poor. While the former has been able to work remotely from their homes, the latter could not afford the luxury to abandon the streets.

Health inequalities suddenly became the focus of a broader public debate during the pandemic in Germany. Jan Paul Heisig, Professor for Sociology at the Freie Universität Berlin, analyses these inequalities and their links to persistent social inequalities in the German society.

Due to the pandemic, the South Korean labour market has gone through drastic changes. In an interview researcher Jong-jin Kim speaks about the winners and losers of the Corona crisis - and how social problems that have arisen should be dealt with.

The pandemic has been particularly hard on children. Indian journalist Nimish Sawant writes about the consequences of lockdowns on the smallest in our society. Which impact do school closures and the ban of social contacts have? He looks at behavioural changes and disorders, while the full impact of the lockdowns on children continues to be researched.

In Brazil, isolation caused by the pandemic also brought schools and families closer together. Christiane Sampaio describes, how teachers became more aware of the realities of children’s lives, and how urban public spaces came to be seen as more important for socialisation and conviviality.

Children and young people have suffered the most from the effects of the pandemic so far. How has the life of children in South Korea during the corona pandemic changed and how can there be equal opportunities for all? An interview with social worker Jinhee Sunwoo.

Having space to live, work and keep your distance – all of these things suddenly became a luxury item during the corona pandemic. Why social distancing opportunities have become a parameter for inequality and why children have been particularly affected.

As brick-and-mortar educational institutions remained shut, digital education became the new normal. Filmmaker and author Paromita Vohra starts the letter exchange by answering how sustainable this model in India is. Will digital learning close or intensify the educational gaps or take a new form altogether?

Brazilian artist Rosana Paulino answers the question posed by Indian author Paromita Vohra: "Which questions regarding Brazil's education system arise as a result of the pandemic?" Here, the issue of social inequality in the education system becomes particular apparent. However, the internet also creates new opportunities.

South Korean philosophy professor Kwang Sun Joo answers the question posed by Brazilian artist Rosana Paulino: “How do parents in South Korea react to their new role as digital educators alongside teachers? How are families supporting students in regard to an educational setting that places strong emphasis on digital content?” It becomes clear that digital education causes isolation and poses major challenges for single parents.

Jan Paul Heisig, professor for sociology at Freie Universität Berlin, answers questions raised by the South Korean Professor of Philosophy Kwang Sun Joo: “In the era of digital learning has the social inequality in Germany increased its influence on education? If so, how has it increased? And what can be done to solve this problem?” 

Today, children and adolescents are growing up in the midst of restrictions on physical contact and bans on recreational activities. What will they remember once it’s all over? How will their experiences shape the collective memory? In her comic, the illustrator Beatrice Davies looks for answers.

What do you do, when you cannot go outside? You go inside. A time to reboot, reset and reinvent, the pandemic transformed both: the self as well as the society. Namrata Kohli discovers a new willingness to help and care in India.

In South Korean society, it is quite common for parents to continue to support their adult children financially for many years, and thus there is a close bond between the two. However, their relationship has been strained, not least since the beginning of the pandemic. Professor of philosophy Kwang Sun Joo talks about a conflict between the generations, which the South Korean government also takes advantage of.

Along with the coronavirus, a wave of helpfulness spread through German neighbourhoods in 2020. But will the new solidarity continue “post-corona”?

In a very personal contribution, 19-year-old student Luka Leonhard describes how the lockdown has affected her and her peers. What kind of social responsibility do under-20-year olds bear to protect older generations during the pandemic? How does she see the future?

In some Afro-Brazilian religions, certain funerary rituals cannot be shared on social media. Among indigenous communities, traditions associated with death were made invisible due to the virus. In Brazil as a whole, there was more talk about the number of deaths than about ways to mourn them.

A funeral director talks about grief counselling and saying goodbye to loved ones during the pandemic in Germany, how several things had to change and why a personal face-to-face contact is difficult to replace.