COVID-19 Emergency Governance in Croatia: The Case of Perpetual Exception and Securitized Disenfranchisement
In: Critical sociology
ISSN: 1569-1632
This article critically examines the governance of the COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia, focusing on the interrogation of (r-e)merging forms of governance amid perpetual crises. Our analysis dissects governmental strategies that formed a state of exception while derailing from the constitutional framing of a state of emergency. This intentional deviation served to re-solidify the intertwining politics of ethno-nationalism and securitization, rooted in a long trajectory of Croatian emergency governance, from the 1990s onwards. Moreover, the article scrutinizes the effects of governance during the pandemic on migrants and other minoritized populations. Through two case studies, we look into inequalities reproduced against racially, ethnically, culturally, and class-wise different social groups. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of crisis governance in a context of uncertain futurities.