Plus Ça Change...? How the COVID-19 crisis may lead to a revaluation of the local

Abstract

The spread of the coronavirus around the world once again confronts us with the vulnerability of a globalized economy and society. As with previous global crises, it is not obvious that the COVID-19 crisis is leading to a process of de-globalization. It is much more likely that the crisis will accelerate localization-a process that has been going on for much longer. In fact, localization occurs simultaneously with globalization, and is inextricably bound up with it-in both the "old" and the "new common." In this sense, the struggle to grapple with the current situation shows us the continuing importance of the local in a global context.