We are at war: The rise of expert knowledge

Abstract

We are at war. We have heard that statement time after time from various political leaders across the globe. We are at war against a pandemic. As Sinisa Male sevi c rightly pointed out in the interview for the Croatian newspaper Faktograf (Brakus, 2020), by inducing a common 'enemy', this figurative speech is nothing but a tool to homogenise the nation, to manipulate its patriotic senses not only for the sake of establishing authority, but to promote certain political agendas. In many places, such as the United States, Britain, Hungary, Israel and Serbia, the war language has been repeatedly used to claim facts, impose war-like measures, cut off liberties, pose wide-spread surveillance on citizens, tap phones and execute arbitrary arrests and many other 'strategic' choices under the pretence of fighting the war against the coronavirus. Such rhetoric, not only being immoral, is no more than a political tool to force people to align with their governments and to give them permission to continue pushing their political agendas.And yet, we are at war, but a war of a different kind. What the pandemic exposed is the salient and persistent war between disciplines to claim authority over knowledge. Two bodies of knowledge, with their almost opposing interests and focuses, conquered the global stage from the very beginning of the pandemic's outbreak. The first and the most loud comes from the global medical efforts to understand the coronavirus. Epidemiologists, molecular biologists, virologists, biochemists, medical doctors (of all kinds) share their (often contradictory) knowledge, insights, research findings and vast experiences in order to warn us, protect us, manage us, save us, best guide us. Their expertise, naturally, seems best suited

University Discourse to Foster Youth’s Sustainability in Society amidst COVID19: International and Russian Features

“…With respect to this issue scientists further highlight the relevance of providing culturally responsive and sustaining youth participatory activities during COVID-19 [58]. Studies from different countries confirm the rise in patriotic feelings among youth who engage in social volunteering and support for vulnerable populations during COVID 19 [59].…”