COVID-19 Social Inequalities and Human Possibilities

'You hold in your hands a tour de force. Ryan and Nanda have crafted what feels like a GPS for our time, thoughtfully and carefully leading us through this anxious, dark, and confusing labyrinth in our social history, alerting us to existing landmines and waking us up to ones of our own creation. Yet they manage to do this with profound curiosity and care, and their sociological analysis provides much needed light to vanquish the darkness.'

Deborah J. Cohan, Professor of Sociology, University of South Carolina Beaufort

'Based on a reading of an extensive amount of cutting-edge information, this book documents how the COVID-19 pandemic is entangled in social inequalities both within and across nation-states: not only has the pandemic aggravated existing disparities between the disadvantaged and the wealthy but it has also created new ones. This work sheds light on the global pandemonium of the COVID-19 pandemic and will no doubt remain essential reading for many years to come as the world strives for greater social justice.'

Niko Besnier, Professor of Cultural Anthropology, University of Amsterdam

'Michael Ryan and Serena Nanda offer a vivid, timely and comprehensive analysis of the sociological aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as they relate to social stratification. The authors make it abundantly clear that the pandemic is at least as much a social problem as it is a health crisis. Indeed, as they powerfully demonstrate, it is both. While they paint a dark picture, they also see hope in rebuilding better in the wake of the pandemic.'

George Ritzer, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Maryland

'After Ryan's two successful edited volumes on COVID-19, he has teamed up with Serena Nanda to deliver this remarkably powerful book on the impact of COVID-19 on social (global, local, digital) inequalities and human capabilities. It is a tale of pandemic inequalities, but also a plea for (re-)building a post-pandemic world.'

Sari Hanafi, President, International Sociological Association