Dear members and friends of the IGGB,
crises are not anomalies at the margins of our societies; they are a constitutive feature of how societies evolve. They manifest as political upheavals, economic shocks, social disruptions, and ecological tipping points, unsettling established orders while creating new dynamics and forms of coexistence. Drawing on thinkers from Reinhart Koselleck to Jürgen Habermas and Armin Nassehi, the concept of “crisis” appears anything but fixed – sometimes a dramatic turning point, sometimes the critical perception of structural transformation, sometimes the very normal condition of late‑modern societies.
Nowhere are these ambiguities more tangible than in the field of global health. Health systems worldwide are confronted with overlapping crises: pandemics and protracted conflicts, climate‑related health risks, fragile infrastructures, and persistent inequalities in access to care. These crises do not only reveal existing fault lines; they frequently deepen them, exacerbating the gap between Global North and Global South, straining institutional capacities, and putting modes of international cooperation to the test. At the same time, crisis situations open spaces for adaptation and transformation – from local community responses to new forms of global health governance.
With the new issue of Crises and Societies on “Global Health in Crisis”, IGGB invites scholars and practitioners to explore these tensions more closely.
We are looking for contributions that examine, for example,
- how climate change, wars, or shifting trade relations shape access to healthcare;
- how social movements are intervening in global health debates;
- what prevention can mean under conditions of “permanent crisis”; or
- how long‑term societal transformations emerge from health emergencies.
- Analyses of governance arrangements and proposals for making global and regional health strategies more resilient are particularly welcome
- Submissions may be theoretical, empirical, or practice‑oriented and can come from any relevant discipline; interdisciplinary perspectives are explicitly encouraged.
- Contributions may be written in English or German and should follow the formal requirements set out in the call (abstract and article length, APA style, minimal footnotes).
- If you would like to contribute, please consult the Crises and Societies document for details on deadlines, format, and contact information – and share with us which blind spots in current debates should be challenged, and which alternative futures for global health you already discern.
We are very much looking forward to hearing from you!
Best regards,
The Editorial Team