New publication: Covid-19 and the European idea

In the edited book "Pandemic Virus – National Action", the border closures in Europe are reflected three years after the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic. The authors show from different disciplinary angles how the border closures were experienced and how they affected the European idea. The book integrates many contributions authored by UniGR-CBS members.

Bibliographic information on the book

Brodowski, Dominik / Nesselhauf, Jonas / Weber, Florian (Ed.): Pandemisches Virus – nationales Handeln: Covid-19 und die europäische Idee. Wiesbaden, Springer VS 2023.
 

In the following interview, the three editors from Saarland University explain how the volume was developed and what they have learned in the process

Mr. Brodowski, Mr. Nesselhauf and Mr. Weber, you have published a book on the COVID-19 pandemic. What makes your book different from others on this topic?

In our publication, we bring together contributions from spatial, cultural and legal studies on the COVID-19 pandemic with its impact on different sociopolitical areas and bring them into a constructive dialogue. With this cross-disciplinary diversity of perspectives, a review of European upheavals emerges that has not been available in a comparable form before.

 

The authors of the book include more than twenty researchers. What is the main benefit of this disciplinary diversity?

We see the main benefit of multidisciplinary projects in the different perspectives that are given on the same problem. For example, several contributions to the volume discuss border closures, which have hit border regions particularly hard: Gareis/Kurnol analyze the effectiveness of border closures from an empirical perspective, Kießling and Bornemann analyze the normative foundations and their shortcomings, and a number of contributions discuss the effects on border regions from a spatial studies perspective. In many cases, such different approaches lead to convergent results - and if not, they particularly stimulate reflection on one's own discipline and one's own approach.

 

In other words, your book covers an incredible number of dimensions of the pandemic and its impact on Europe. What did you learn from dealing with the topic?

We were particularly surprised and pleased to see how border closures and border restrictions have raised many people's awareness of the importance of "Europe" in general, and especially a Europe of open borders, for our daily lives. Moreover, as the pandemic has progressed, cross-border cooperation has become increasingly effective - thanks in part to the creativity of all those involved. National resentments were still (too) clearly perceptible at the beginning, but disappeared in the course of time, fortunately.

 

A discussion in your book is whether the border closures in the spring of 2020 against the virus were actually effective. What conclusion can you draw on this question? 

Certainly, the border closures have led to the fact that some contagions have not occurred. But that does not make such fundamental restrictions efficient: because the "costs" caused by the border closures were very high, especially in the border regions - for the economy, for culture, for the European idea. Here it would have been necessary, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, to take greater account of the interconnectedness in the border regions, i.e. to think European.

 

You discuss in your book whether the border closures in the spring of 2020 were actually effective against the virus. What conclusion can you draw on this question?

The border closures have certainly led to the fact that some infections have not occurred. But that does not make such fundamental restrictions efficient: because the "costs" caused by the border closures were very high, especially in the border regions - for the economy, for culture, for the European idea. Here it would have been necessary, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, to consider the interconnectedness in the border regions more closely, hence to think European.

Podcast with the editors: here
 

The editors:

Dominik Brodowski
Dominik Brodowski is Professor of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure at Saarland University in Saarbrücken. He researches how Europe and digitalization are changing criminal law.
 

Jonas Nesselhauf
Jonas Nesselhauf is Junior Professor for European Media Comparative Studies at Saarland University. His research interests include comparative media cultural studies and the relations of reciprocal tension between media, cultures, and bodies/personalities.
 

Florian Weber
Florian Weber is Junior Professor of European Studies with a focus on Western Europe and border areas at Saarland University. In his research, he deals, among other things, with cross-border cooperation in the multi-level network in Europe.