Cover Story
Our Lives in Color Again
A hundred years ago, renowned French sociologist Émile Durkheim wrote about the phenomenon of “collective effervescence” — his term for the joy we derive from the shared experience of participating face-to-face with others.
Since the pandemic forced us into lockdown last year, we have lamented those cherished
moments that invigorate us, lending vibrant color and a vital sense of belonging to our lives. However much of a lifeline technology has been for many of us during this immensely
challenging period, it has proved to be incapable of replicating the communal joy that we experience at sports events, at live concerts, or simply sitting, as actor Frances McDormand put it in her Oscar acceptance speech, “shoulder-to-shoulder” at the cinema.
As humans, we are creatures of togetherness, hardwired to connect. History teaches us that, as soon as we feel safe again, we will make the effort to do just that.
Will we also come roaring back, packing restaurants, nightclubs and bars — just as our forebears did in the 1920s following the ravages of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 to ’20? Historians and economists say it is very possible that we will.
In this issue of USC Dornsife Magazine, we explore the idea of “Revival” from many different angles. We look at the way forward and delve into the psychological effects of the pandemic on our families and ourselves. We shine a spotlight on the economy and in particular how the $1.7 trillion saved by Americans during the pandemic are likely to fuel a spending spree. We find hope as our environmental scholars outline their solutions for rapidly enacting positive change during the escalating climate crisis; humor in the history of snake oil salesmen and their scurrilous promises of revival; and comfort in the insights of a courageous alumna who overcame a lifetime of crippling shyness to become USC’s director of belonging.
As the vaccine rollout in the United States causes the number of COVID-19 cases to drop dramatically, we are gradually reemerging into the world.
Are we heading back to our old lifestyles?
Experts counsel us to recognize the mistake of believing that the future will look
exactly like the past. It never does. But, while our lives may be different, we have been given a moonshot moment to learn from our experience of the last 16 months and correct our course to forge a better, more equitable tomorrow — not just for ourselves, but for those who follow in our footsteps. —S.B.
Susan Bell
Editor-in-Chief
USC Dornsife Magazine
