Social extremity, communities of fate, and the sociology of SARS
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
European Journal of Sociology = Archives Europeennes de Sociologie
Publication Date
8-2005
Volume
46
Issue
2
First Page
179
Last Page
211
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
This article identifies the chief factors which transform a group of people into a “community of fate”. A community of fate refers to a temporary form of existence, born of duress and social emergency, which cuts across familiar divisions to elicit something socially consequential. One such community materialized during the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Hong Kong. It is examined here in detail together with a range of other crisis communities – from Montreal battling smallpox, to the captives of the Warsaw Ghetto.
DOI
10.1017/S000397560500007X
Print ISSN
00039756
E-ISSN
14740583
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2005 Archives Européenes de Sociology
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Baehr, P. (2005). Social extremity, communities of fate, and the sociology of SARS. European Journal of Sociology, 46(2), 179-211. doi: 10.1017/S000397560500007X