Abstract

During the first wave of the pandemic, nursing homes in Quebec were hit particularly hard. The media was replete with images of residents inside the homes holding their hands to glass windows as their loved ones pressed theirs from the outside. Because families were not allowed to visit, Zoom sessions were introduced in order to mitigate the isolation of residents. As I participated in these sessions, I came to realize how the absence of touch affects relationships. In my mind's eye, I saw my arms and hands extending out while the person I was trying to touch was receding into the background, engulfed by the pandemic. This reminded me of Walter Benjamin's "Theses on the Philosophy of History" inspired by Paul...