A moral(izing) virus: an introduction

Cirus Rinaldi; Morena Tartari; Riccardo Caldarera

doi:10.4324/9781003453215-1

A moral(izing) virus: an introduction

Cirus Rinaldi^*, Morena Tartari, Riccardo Caldarera

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

Abstract

This chapter introduces the ideas from which the edited book Moral Panics and Social Control in the COVID-19 Pandemic developed. While discussing the dynamics and roles of moral panics, this chapter analyses the characteristics of the societies in which the pandemic took place.

Through the prism of moral panic, concepts established in the sociological tradition such as discourse, labeling, deviancy amplification and social control, allow the researchers to pay attention to the moral regulation of social contexts determined by the pandemic and to the moral life and social organization of the virus itself.

By reviewing each contribution collected by the book, this chapter tries to underline the dynamics of social control which were present in escalating moral panics or in failed moral panics during the pandemic, in different societies in the Global North and South, focusing on case studies from Germany, Italy, Iran, Spain, the UK and the USA.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Moral panics and social control in the COVID-19 pandemic
Editors	Morena Tartari, Cirus Rinaldi, Riccardo Caldarera
Place of Publication	London
Publisher	Routledge
Pages	1-12
Number of pages	12
ISBN (Electronic)	9781003453215
ISBN (Print)	9781032591469
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003453215-1
Publication status	Published - 17 Sept 2025

Publication series

Name	The COVID-19 Pandemic Series
Publisher	Routledge

Keywords

moral panic
social control
COVID-19 pandemic
deviance
moral regulation

Access to Document

10.4324/9781003453215-1

https://www.routledge.com/9781032591469

Cite this

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abstract = "This chapter introduces the ideas from which the edited book Moral Panics and Social Control in the COVID-19 Pandemic developed. While discussing the dynamics and roles of moral panics, this chapter analyses the characteristics of the societies in which the pandemic took place. Through the prism of moral panic, concepts established in the sociological tradition such as discourse, labeling, deviancy amplification and social control, allow the researchers to pay attention to the moral regulation of social contexts determined by the pandemic and to the moral life and social organization of the virus itself. By reviewing each contribution collected by the book, this chapter tries to underline the dynamics of social control which were present in escalating moral panics or in failed moral panics during the pandemic, in different societies in the Global North and South, focusing on case studies from Germany, Italy, Iran, Spain, the UK and the USA.",

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KW - moral regulation

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A moral(izing) virus: an introduction

Abstract

Publication series

Keywords

Access to Document

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Embargoed Document

Moral panics and social control in the COVID-19 pandemic

Social control and moral panics in pandemic times: a conclusion

Cite this