政治禍としてのコロナ禍

【現場政治の生成】

抄録

  The Covid-19 pandemic was not only a medical disaster but also a political disaster. In Japan, for example, national leaders made policy decisions seemingly without thought or coordination, and people paid the price for this political disaster. Moreover, as Adam Tooze and others have pointed out, the neoliberal conditions already in place made it difficult for national and local governments to respond flexibly to Covid-19. Considering this background, this paper discusses how people have been disrupted in daily life, and in hospitals and how, in spite of this, they restored order and relationships through constant adjustments. In the analysis, I will make reference to and compare the history of the Spanish flu, which caused at least four million deaths worldwide 100 years ago. In the case of the Spanish flu, the First World War caused ordinary people, such as soldiers and medical personnel, to be affected by irresponsible political decisions, with makeshifts through unofficial coordination.