In (and about) this special issue: Things are NOT normal

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) starts its timeline of events associated with the Covid-19 global pandemic with an entry on 31 December 2019. It references a statement issued by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission (located in the Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China) which merely observed an uptick in "viral pneumonia." Less than two weeks later, on 11 January 2020, the Chinese media reported "the first death from the novel coronavirus." On 23 January 2020, Chinese officials imposed a lockdown in Wuhan and surrounding areas in a desperate attempt to control the growing epidemic. While global attention was fixated on the tsunami of illness and death in Wuhan, WHO's timeline notes the ominous trickle of first new infections elsewhere. A case in Japan on 16 January; in the United States on 21 January; in France on 24 January; and in the United Arab Emirates on 29 January. The world began watching warily as the rhythm of initial cases and first deaths swelled into clusters, inundating health systems which buckled under the weight despite heroic efforts of their personnel.

Moving on: Reflections on time well spent

“…The commitment to recognition and representation and a global focus, respond to the original aims of the journal, to present ‘a room with many views’ (Staller, 2021:11). This commitment is evidenced in a special issue of the journal, Reflections on a Pandemic (Staller et al, 2021). The Call for Papers encouraged submissions from around the globe (Staller, 2021) which resulted in a volume that provided a nuanced and deep understanding of the pandemic and its impact on ‘social work education, research and practice’ (Staller, 2021:12) internationally.…”

Can service users speak? Dissenting voices and subaltern speech in social work

“…Spivak’s ethical engagement does not solve this, as it makes the philosopher the master of subaltern subjectivity. More than providing any blueprint for social work dissensus , the thoughts of Rancière posit essential questions about the part of social work within the police , its classification practices (Garrett, 2015), and the latter years, the relation between social work, normalcy, and political consensus related to COVID-19 (Garrett, 2021; Staller et al, 2021; Aaslund, 2021).…”

In this issue … insights and understandings

“…This issue's treatment of the kinds of knowledge qualitative methods makes possible exists in conversation with QSW's special issue published in January. This special issue featured reflective essays from 35 countries that collectively showcases the diverse experiences and responses to the pandemic (Staller et al, 2021). With an emphasis on revelation and discovery, the special issue opens with a celebratory note (Staller, 2021).…”