The Social Dimension of the Covid-19 Pandemic. A transatlantic perspective

Abstract

From January 24th to 25th, 2023, the VII International Workshop on Transatlantic Ibero-American Studies was held at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Malaga. The main objective of this meeting was to examine, from the perspective of social sciences, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on research, the transfer of knowledge to society, and individu­al behaviours. During the seminar, the reception of news related to science and health in different countries of the Ibero-American region was evaluat­ed, as well as how the citizens were affected by this health emergency and how it influenced qualitative research with patients suffering from rare diseas­es. The role played by scientific institutions during the health alarm process was also analysed, along with the changes in people’s habits in their homes and the effects of the dissemination of fake news, rumours, and disinformation campaigns. In conclu­sion, a series of suggestions and final recommenda­tions of great interest for the social understanding of phenomena such as the COVID-19 pandemic were provided, highlighting the importance of col­laboration between social sciences and basic and experimental sciences in addressing emergencies.