"Disruption"

“This pandemic [and the year 2020] has been cruelty adept at dismantling what we want to take for granted. It has upended both the “truths “” so fundamental that we assumed they were beyond question, like faith in political leaders or democracy itself, and the ordinary things that gave rhythm for our lives- grocery shopping or going to the gym- and afforded a sense of security and control that was invisible, until it collapsed…” – McLean’s, 2020

Time and time again, 2020 has been referred to as “the year that changed everything”. The COVID-19 pandemic has been called a “once-in-a-lifetime event”- the type of event of which hasn’t been seen since World War Two, in terms of its scale and impact, in that nothing will ever return to the way it was before. It has changed the way we socialize, work, and live. It has exposed weaknesses in our economic and political systems, as well as shed light on injustices throughout the world- resulting in social upheaval and revolution. It has allowed for human innovation, creativity and cooperation. It has called into question the resilience of the Western world in the face of crisis and has revealed new possibilities in the way we think about climate change, technology and economics. It has left us with the important question: “How will we decide to move forward?”

Confluence will except a variety of different interpretations of this topic. We will be excepting academic essays, literature reviews, op-eds and write ups on co-op or volunteer experiences that are related to this theme. We look forward to hearing what SFU students have to say.

Make a submission for Fall 2021 edition here.