Beyond Coronativism: The Need For Agape

Annelies van Uden and Henk van Houtum

Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 2020, vol. 111, issue 3, 333-346

Abstract: In this contribution we focus on togetherness, as one of the key notions in the current COVID‐19 crisis. Globally, it is seen as vital to stand and act together to combat the virus, and avoid a tragedy of the commons, in which actors are acting out of self‐interest and counterproductively to the general interest. In this essay we analyse the current geographical dissonant developments that the required human togetherness across the globe is facing. We find that the main conflicting tendencies, that we summarise as utilitarian locking up, nationalistic locking in and exclusionary locking out, are all employing a notion of togetherness which is largely based on an in‐group solidarity based on either age, gender, ethnicity, nationality or fitness. We argue that such narrow definition of togetherness falls short in dealing with the crisis in an effective as well as non‐discriminatory manner, and potentially could even lengthen or worsen the corona crisis. We end with a plea for a different conceptualisation of solidarity in the combat of the crisis, a radical non‐dividing form of togetherness: agape.

Date: 2020
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