Opening new horizons of what is possible has always been a crucial for social movements. While the leading actors assert the idea that “there is no alternative” to their world order, social movements challenge them claiming that “another world is possible”. They introduce dissents, debates and reflections into a world order that some have taken for granted, contributing to social change and to the ability of a society to transform itself, “to recreate itself” more conscientiously, as sociologist Alain Touraine would say.
This role is even more important in times of crisis. Crises break up routines and “business as usual”. They provide opportunities to reflect individually and collectively on our values and aims. The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply shaken our daily lives and many of the “certainties” of our geopolitical, economic and social system. The pandemic has shaken economic dogma that has ruled the world for decades. Forced us to implement a lockdown to limit the spread of virus, governments have framed the “return to normality” as struggle of “national unity” that gather policymakers, corporations, workers and the whole population in a common struggle against the COVID-19. Activists insist that what is presented as “normality” is not the only way and is actually part of the problem. “Nothing could be worse than a return to normality” claims Indian activist Arundhati Roy.
