Shelter or trench: reflections on the home during the pandemic

Abstract

Since the start of the pandemic caused by the COVID19 disease, the govern-ments of the Global North have demanded policies aimed at “flattening the curve”, mainly through social distancing, using tests and tracking where feasible and, in some cases, imposing almost total and indiscrimi-nate confinements. This was the case in Spain, where a quarantine was imposed from March 15 to June 21, causing most of the citizenry to be confined to their home. In this text we try to reflect on this experience and the implications that it might have for the future. To do this, we carry out an analysis of the different func-tions of the “home” —as a refuge, a place of resistance and a place of hospitality and welcome— , and the changes that the COVID19, understood in relation to the new climate regime, can imply. For this we will base our analysis on the reflections of Judith Butler, Sarah Ahmed, bell hooks and Isabelle Stengers.