Europe, a maelström and a leap of faith (June, 2021)

The case of Europe/ European Union
2021

The aim of this essay is to explore some aspects of the contrast between the current (massive) crisis in Europe and in Spain, and the (limited) strategic capacity of their political communities to deal with it. I approach the issue from a sociocultural perspective that emphasises the nature of the crisis as one of open drama, and the feeling within these communities of being overwhelmed by the gravity and urgency of their problems, as well as some aspects of the sense and moral dimension of their response. I also highlight the role that could be played by the citizens who make up civil society - the ordinary people - in the handling of the crisis. I employ a literary figure, that of the Maelström, to illustrate my argument and I make general use of a variety of materials and references from the social sciences, narratives, art, history, moral philosophy, statistics, personal testimonies, newspaper articles, popular culture as well as some brief digressions for the purpose of enlarging the spatial and temporal, and intellectual, framework of the discussion.