Crowds, Community and Contagion in Contemporary Britain

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the neoliberal politics,xenophobia,and racism that have undermined community cohesion in the UK since 1979. Sarah Lowndes' book explores how a renewed sense of mutual regard and collective responsibility is necessary to meet the challenges of the pandemic, using Raymond Williams' structure of feeling, Stuart Hall's conception of the conjuncture, and Chantal Mouffe's agonistic pluralism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 260 pages
Publication date: 30 September 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique opportunity to reassess the neoliberal politics, xenophobia, and racism that have plagued community cohesion in the United Kingdom since 1979, and have largely gone unchecked over the past four decades. This book explores the significance of culture as a way of life, using three interconnected ideas: Raymond Williams' structure of feeling, Stuart Hall's conception of the conjuncture, and Chantal Mouffe's agonistic pluralism. Through a comprehensive examination of public gatherings in Britain from 1945 to 2019 and analysis of five key examples affected by the pandemic since 2020, including Chinese New Year, the UEFA Champions League Final, VE Day street parties, Black Lives Matter demonstrations, and the cancellation of Eid Ul-Adha celebrations, Sarah Lowndes argues that a renewed sense of mutual regard and collective responsibility is essential to meet the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. This book appeals to scholars and upper-level students of cultural studies, cultural history, sociology, and politics, offering a thorough examination of how ideas proliferate and spread through our society, public sphere, and collective consciousness.

Weight: 660g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032040653