Covid-19 with an Anthropological Perspective
By: Rosaline Dou
The outbreak of Covid-19 throughout the whole world is, indeed, distressing. However, it also provides an opportunity to reflect on how the countries react, and provides some insight into how to deal with the global financial and health crisis. I wonder if the personality and value of a nation would be shown in the time of crisis more than any other time.
From my perspective, the history of international relations and their populations are cohesively tied to every action taken by nations, to some extent. In the case of the Covid-19, countries have already reacted to the pandemic crisis according to its culture, history, and personality of the nation.
For China, the collective identity of the nation was shown in the way the public followed the rules with the city lockdowns and quarantines. Moreover, this cohesion was also distinguished through overseas Chinese, from Spain, France, Canada, and US donated supplies to China, while China did the same to 127 nations and regions, as we started to recover. This is the national unity that Chinese people share wherever they are.
However, even though the policy of unprecedented city lockdowns kept the pandemic well under control, there is no review or study on the psychological effects of city-wide quarantines. According to Statista, at the height of the outbreak, over 760 million people in China were forced into quarantine. Chinese studies indicate mental health burden increases as children are quarantined with their parents. Study shows at least 28% of quarantined parents present a diagnosis of “trauma-related mental health disorder.” (Hoof, 2020)
Admittedly, the most urgent task at that moment was to ensure health and safety. The lack of consideration in China in mental health might result from the holdback development of psychology and mental health awareness in Chinese history.
Comparatively, France did a better job in controlling both the infections and mental health of the citizens, whereas other nations tended to focus more on the confirmed patients. France had a “two-tent approach” which are two tents set up for emergency cases, taking care of both who are wounded physically and psychologically. This may relate to France’s history of treating trauma after terrors and disasters, as CUMP, Medical and Psychological Emergency Units, were established.
France also presented the world of their stylish flair by creating and disturbing masks with unique designs. Many manufacturers, such as Bonneterie Chanteclair, a cloth manufacturing factory, benefited from making masks while their stores of stylish masks emptied out fairly quickly. The French started to lead a new wave of fashion even in such a time of crisis.
The revolutionary blood is always within the French as well. From the French Revolution to the World Wars, the French public is very good at using their own ways to fight against the “illness” at the time of crisis. In early spring, facing the French government’s initial decision against wearing a mask, the public made their own mask to fight against the authority to show what is the wisest decision to make. People’s power is definitely a symbol of France and what makes French a unique place.
It is quite interesting how different nations’ personalities were shown even more obviously in the time of crisis. How the public behaves is always represented as what the country is like, especially in the time when the eyes of nations will look at different countries’ decisions with more scrutiny. As an individual, as a student, and as a global citizen, I cannot help with the development of the vaccine, medical, etc. However, it is worthwhile for me to learn how to ask better questions, to prevent assumptions and superstitions. As Covid-19 continues to be a global phenomenon, different cultures and groups are impacted. It is essential to take all perspectives, taking the event as an opportunity to get rid of the stereotypes we had.
According to the Wikipedia data, by June 20th, China has only 362 confirmed cases, 83,352 accumulatively, which is only 9.7% confirmed cases worldwide.