The Pandemic Reader: Exposing Social (In)Justice in the Time of COVID-19 (Critical Pedagogies)

The Pandemic Reader: Exposing Social (In)Justice in the Time of COVID-19, edited by Mako Fitts Ward, Jennifer Sandlin, and Michelle McGibbney Vlahoulis, focuses on reimagining the role of education and community in navigating the pandemic through a social justice lens. The editors argue that the pandemic offers a critical opportunity to rethink pedagogical practices and social frameworks in tandem.

Rather than merely diagnosing the social and political impacts of the pandemic, The Pandemic Reader offers practical frameworks for educators, activists, and policymakers, focusing on the importance of education as a catalyst for change and an antidote to the inequalities laid bare by COVID-19. This might include designing curricula that address social justice issues directly—such as the intersections of race, gender, and class—and creating spaces for dialogue that encourage students to express their experiences and challenge structural injustices. Ultimately, The Pandemic Reader offers frameworks for rethinking education and community responses to COVID-19, which can inform how we tell and interpret pandemic stories through a social justice lens.