Immunity as Relativity: German Vaccination Campaigns and Debates in Times of COVID-19

Abstract: COVID-19 was a shock. The shutdown of entire societies was considered a historic turning point already in 2020. Vaccinations promised a way out of the crisis. Even before the vaccination campaigns began, they were seen as a weapon that would decide the war against the pandemic, even as a promise of salvation. These hopes were dashed in 2021. Vaccinations offered a relatively high level of, but not absolute, protection. Vaccinated people were still contagious and thus a risk to others. My article traces the history of this disappointment and the attempts to solve it. I focus on German debates about prioritising vaccine distribution, dealing with side effects, and debates about compulsory vaccination and increasing social pressure on the unvaccinated. Vaccination campaigns thus serve as a probe with which to examine social orders and social distortions. At the same time, I place the current developments in a historical perspective. I ask both about the historical roots of today's deb

Object Details

• Alternative title: Immunität als Relativitätstheorie: Deutsche Impfkampagnen und Debatten während der Coronapandemie
• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Immunity as Relativity: German Vaccination Campaigns and Debates in Times of COVID-19 ; volume:46 ; number:4 ; year:2021 ; pages:316-338 ; Veröffentlichungsversion ; begutachtet (peer reviewed) ; Historical social research ; 46, Heft 4 (2021), 316-338

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie, Anthropologie

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Mannheim
• (who): SSOAR, GESIS – Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften e.V.
• (when): 2021
• Creator: Thießen, Malte

Further information

• DOI: 10.12759/hsr.46.2021.4.316-338
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2022100516460873704304
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:21 AM CEST