The COVID-19 Endemic: Considering Biopower in Canada’s Pandemic Response

Authors

  • Cameron Johnsen McMaster University

Abstract

This paper argues that Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been largely "endemic" in nature. The lens of Foucault's biopower is used to examine how the pandemic response has exposed and worsened the marginalization of disadvantaged "delinquent" groups, while also attempting to uphold or "make live" a particular type of normal public commercialism. It is proposed that more revolutionary action is required to prioritize health and risk mitigation rather than a traditional way of life. 

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Published

2022-01-26