From the Editors

The devastating effects of the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic have poignantly laid bare, once again, the limits of our capacity to act together and cooperate, even in the face of imminent threats to human survival on this planet. Unsurprisingly, deeply ingrained market mechanisms have ensured, both institutionally and ideologically, that international competition rather than solidarity determined the rhythm and mode of the fight against the global pandemic. Beyond and besides the very necessary measures to prevent contagion, the current crisis further accelerated the proliferation of borders, walls, and checkpoints (physical and otherwise) that have been more effective at segregating humans than at containing viruses. While vaccines roll out from the production lines of industrialized countries, speculation runs wild on which states and regions will recover faster and thus be in a position to lead the “post-corona” world. And yet, as Uruguayan artist Luis Camnitzer observed in a recent interview, we don’t even know whether or not this quarantine will ever end.

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