‘More eyes on the problem’: What the social sciences and humanities allow us to see and do in response to COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has bared the fragile and unequal social and economic structures underlying South Africa, and in this issue of the Journal we foreground what contributions the humanities and social sciences can make to charting a path into an improved future. We are fortunate that Jonathan Jansen, President of the Academy of Science of South Africa, gathered a group of multidisciplinary essays each written by an expert. Jansen, Distinguished Professor in the Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch University, is a leading intellectual, fearless author, and acclaimed researcher. At his invitation, we present a diverse series of Invited Commentaries that will have lasting value for our country in the difficult period that lies ahead. There are challenges but opportunities too.