Fourteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Immunity is one of the most highly debated topics in the current Covid-19 pandemic. Herd immunity, in particular, emerged as a subject of much contention and debates in various countries around the world as the economic costs of implementing strict containment measures are weighed against public health costs. These debates have certainly revealed all the more the fact that immunity is not only a matter of biology and science alone, but coalesces with political, economic, and social issues. Drawing on academic literature from the field of biopolitics and on empirical research findings, the paper examines how the concept of immunity, as a “socio-scientific” concept, is constructed and perceived by governments and publics during Covid-19 pandemic.