Covid-19 and the Social Construction of Reality in Jordan

Taking Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann to the Realm of Social Power

Dados Bibliográficos

ID12836364
AutoresMohammed Abdel Karim Al Hourani (0000-0003-4603-9472, University of Sharjah, autor correspondente)
Ano2021
Volume20
Fascículo6
Páginas718-740
Data de publicação2021-12-10
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoComparative Sociology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1569-1322 • E-ISSN: 1569-1330
EditoraBrill (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1163/15691330-bja10045
OpenAlexW4200206418
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas1
Referências citadas10

Almost all nations are struggling to slow down the transmission of Covid-19 by restricting large gatherings and close social interactions. However, it is not expected that people will stop all social gatherings and interactions voluntarily. This situation requires the construction of a new social reality that compels people to abandon their traditional practices, particularly in countries such as Jordan that have a traditional social order and strong bonding social capital. Nevertheless, Jordan had the lowest rates of Covid-19 in the Middle East during the first four months of the pandemic, because its government used its power to impose restrictions and new regulations. However, the situation has become one of the worst cases in the entire world after the government eased its restrictions. The example of Jordan provides strong evidence that the social construction of reality sometimes requires coercive intervention. Thus, this article reconsiders and extends Berger and Luckmann’s theory of social construction by examining it in the realm of social power. The theory includes three significant processes of social construction: externalization, objectivation , and internalization that should consider the concept of social power to extend the range of its powerful explanation

Development economics · Economics · Externalization · Government (linguistics · Intervention (counseling · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Realm · Social capital · Social order · Social reality · Social science · Sociology · COVID-19 and Mental Health · COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence