ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the enigmatic core of the unprecedented pandemic. It argues that the pandemic’s relations with the reader are paradoxical: it is impossible to live with it as much as it is impossible to live without it. The book traces the roots of the now-dominant notion of ‘governance’. It also refers to the failure of the counterforces seeking to come up with viable alternative/s to (good) governance. The book seeks to assess the growing body of the community engagement literature – with special emphasis on communicative dynamics – in the light of the pandemic outbreak. It concentrates on one of the most significant developments in the millennial information and communication order – the infodemic and its subversive capacity.
