While the original objective was to look at protests — protests against lockdowns and protests under lockdowns — by the time the project started, it seemed more appropriate to investigate everyday acts of resistance, defiance and counter-practices. As scrutinised in Dr. Puggioni’s first publication (2022), the declaration of the state of emergency in Italy, in January 2020, did not introduce an illiberal rationality of government. By looking at quotidian, miniscule practices of mobility, it was possible to highlight the modalities through which the people — despite mobility restrictions — were still able to decide how to govern themselves. The following counter-practices tended to be used: going to the supermarket and buying only a few items to get out again on another day; taking a longer route to reach the shop; buying a dog, or even borrowing one from a neighbour, to justify being outside; meeting family and friends in the same residential building or visiting during the late evenings when fewer controls were in operation; scrutinising which routes were less patrolled and thus viable; wearing sportswear to justify taking long walks; organising parties, especially in isolated villas, and the like.
While the ‘liberal’ element was certainly important, the research also (indirectly) suggested that liberal approach might be problematic when facing emergencies that require a greater level of adherence to governmental policies. The liberal approach was also dominant in the second publication (Puggioni, 2023), even attention was mostly focussed on the relation between (in)security, anxiety and creativity. This was done by combining International Relations security literature with the work of the (existentialist) philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard. Rather than focusing on the restrictions, illiberal norms and negative emotions that emerged during the pandemic years, Dr Puggioni investigated the many creative mechanisms that people adopted to (re)appropriate their lives and (re-)create a new normalcy. The existential approach allowed to read insecurity and anxiety in connection with freedom.
The followings papers have been presented at international conferences/workshops:
a. ‘COVID-19 crisis: freedom, creativity and response-ability’, European Workshops in International Studies, University of Amsterdam, 12-14 July 2023;
b. 'Evading immobility and creative citizenship in Europe', winter school, 23-27 Jan 2023, organised by O.P. Jindal Global University (India) and North South University (Bangladesh).
c. ‘Forget COVID-19 trauma and death toll: Privileging freedom to trauma’, European International Studies Association, Atheion University, 1-4 Sep. 2022;
d. ‘COVID-19 emergency and (ir)responsibility: everyday practices of mobility, evasion and protests’, European Consortium for Political Research, University of Innsbruck, 22-26 Aug. 2022.
