From Corona Virus to Corona Crisis: The Value of An Analytical and Geographical Understanding of Crisis

Abstract

The term ‘crisis’ is omnipresent. The current corona virus pandemic is perceived as the most recent example. However, the notion of crisis is increasingly deployed as a signifier of relevance, rather than as an analytical concept. Moreover, human geography has so far little contributed to the interdisciplinary crisis research field which is fixated on the temporal aspects of crisis but neglects its spatiality. Against this background, the first aim of the paper is to demonstrate the value of thinking about crisis analytically. Therefore, we introduce theoretical knowledge developed within a recently emerging literature on crisis management. Second, we demonstrate the relevance of including geographical thinking into crisis research more systematically. Based on the TPSN-framework by Jessop et al., we illustrate spatial dimensions of the ‘corona crisis’, its perception and handling in Germany. The empirical references are based on media reports.