From Corona Virus to Corona Crisis: The Value of An Analytical and Geographical Understanding of Crisis

Abstract

The term ‘crisis’ is omnipresent. The current corona virus pandemic is perceived as the most recent example. However, the notion of crisis is increasingly deployed as a signifier of relevance, rather than as an analytical concept. Moreover, human geography has so far little contributed to the interdisciplinary crisis research field which is fixated on the temporal aspects of crisis but neglects its spatiality. Against this background, the first aim of the paper is to demonstrate the value of thinking about crisis analytically. Therefore, we introduce theoretical knowledge developed within a recently emerging literature on crisis management. Second, we demonstrate the relevance of including geographical thinking into crisis research more systematically. Based on the TPSN‐framework by Jessop et al., we illustrate spatial dimensions of the ‘corona crisis’, its perception and handling in Germany. The empirical references are based on media reports.

Covid-19 and entrepreneurship education: Implications for advancing research and practice

“…Since the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020 declared the COVID-19 crisis a pandemic, there has been an enormous impact on management education. This impact can be analysed through a geography approach using the space dimensions of territory, place, scale and network ( Brinks and Ibert, 2020 ). As different countries and regions have varying policies regarding in-class versus digital class participation there are conflicting views about the best way to change educational practices as a result of the crisis ( Donthu and Gustafsson, 2020 ).…”

Curriculum response to the crisis

“…We consider a crisis to be a sudden, unpredictable, and chaotic event that causes a rapid disruption in the functioning of a system or organization (Shaluf et al 2003 ) and comprises a collective sense of uncertainty, threat, and urgency around a problem (Brinks and Ibert 2020 ). The nature of the crisis and its local and international importance will have various effects, but a crisis always involves the need for crucial decisions to be made in a short time (Darling 1994 ; Shaluf et al 2003 ; Brinks and Ibert 2020 ). While the prevailing view is that a crisis is a negative situation, Shaluf et al ( 2003 ) point out that “the notion of a positive outcome from a crisis situation is emerging from literature”.…”

Quarantined, Sequestered, Closed: Theorising Academic Bodies Under Covid-19 Lockdown

“…In a paper referring directing to Covid-19, Brinks and Ibert (2020) explore the spatial dimensions of the current crisis. They propose '…a conceptual shift from the structural conditions that cause crises to an actor-centric approach focused on the practical consequences of crisis of individual and collective agency' (Brinks and Ibert 2020: 276).…”