Welcome to the Pandemic Histories Blog!

In 2020, the world experienced an unprecedented global pandemic that caused untold human suffering and widespread economic distress, but that also triggered remarkable acts of courage, compassion and ingenuity. In many places, COVID-19 amplified pre-existing forms of vulnerability and deepened inequalities. It often converged with other environmental and social shocks and stresses, such as famines, wars, floods and wildfires, imposing almost unthinkable burdens on people. It added urgency to movements to end racial injustice, and shone a spotlight on the plight of some of our most disadvantaged communities—Native Americans, senior citizens, refugees, the incarcerated, the homeless, the victims of human trafficking. It showed the incredible depth of human resilience—but also exposed its limits. For youth around the world—engaged in crafting worldviews, envisioning careers, and thinking of the challenges they will face and the opportunities they will have—it was another wave of turbulence to cope with, think about and learn from.

The Pandemic Histories Archive Project was launched in Fall 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic as a remote field study service project for UCI Social Ecology undergraduates. This unique virtual internship provides education on pandemic histories and the importance of community archives, training in creating archival materials, and the opportunity for students to preserve their digital files in the UCI Libraries Special Collections & Archives. Our hope is that this project will empower students to document their personal experiences, and amplify the voices of those in their communities.

How to Navigate our Site

We’ll be using this blog to highlight exceptional student submissions. Please take a look! You can click the top headings to view materials by type (photographs, artwork, field diaries, poetry and reflections, and interviews) or by the date they were submitted. Visit our About section for more information on this project, our students, and leadership.

The Pandemic Histories Archive

Visit the Online Archive of California to request items from the UCI School of Social Ecology Pandemic Histories Archive collection. Select submissions are available to the public on Calisphere.

How to Participate as a UCI Student

UCI undergraduates may visit UCI Field Study Catalog for the School of Social Ecology and view the Pandemic Histories Archive Project listing to read how to apply.