In the Spring of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic swept across the world, and communities locked down. Circumstances that were unimaginable became real within days, even hours, as our lives changed beyond recognition. At the time of writing, we have no idea whether the worst is past or is still to come. For many, of course, this has been overwhelming and catastrophic. Healthcare providers, caregivers and suppliers of essential goods and services have found themselves on the front line. Large and small businesses are hanging on for dear life. Community organisations, congregations, voluntary bodies and charities have seen normal activities suspended. Whole populations, already devastated by war or poverty, have been left horribly exposed, and individuals have faced the horrors of isolation from all the ordinary contacts that make life – and death – bearable in such alien circumstances. Any far-reaching change has the greatest impact on those who have the least access to resources. Women are disproportionately affected by poverty, conflict, violence and abuse. As responsibility for education and caring focuses back on the home, women still bear the bulk of the responsibility. The majority of jobs that will be lost or downgraded will be those traditionally filled by women. After generations of painfully slow progress in women’s access to the public sphere, there are those who fear that our lives will retract again. And that means that the transformations that take place when women speak will stop happening. Education and Academic life have felt the impact as much as others. With face-to-face contact and physical access to libraries and other resources severed in an instant, we have had to find new ways of teaching and supporting our students, and resourcing research. Much of academic life has moved online. Teachers in higher or further education are in contact with people at crucial points in their lives. For the most part, these are young students, apprentices or trainees, tentatively exploring the world they will emerge into as adults, professionals, researchers and potential world-changers. Others are reaching out to learning in middle years or later in life, with the aim of changing careers, following a vocation, or simply entering into a world of discovery that was inaccessible to them in earlier years. I have worked with adult returners to learning all my life, and I know how transformative the experience can be: what a difference this can make to their lives, and what a 948309 FTH0010.1177/0966735020948309Feminist TheologyEditorial editorial2020

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2020 年春季，冠状病毒大流行席卷全球，社区封锁。随着我们的生活变得面目全非，难以想象的情况在几天甚至几小时内变成了现实。在撰写本文时，我们不知道最糟糕的情况是否已经过去，还是即将到来。当然，对于许多人来说，这是压倒性的和灾难性的。医疗保健提供者、护理人员以及基本商品和服务的供应商发现自己处于前线。大大小小的企业都在坚持着宝贵的生命。社区组织、会众、志愿团体和慈善机构的正常活动已暂停。已经被战争或贫困蹂躏的整个人口都暴露在可怕的境地，个人面临着与所有普通接触隔绝的恐怖，这些接触使生和死在这种陌生的环境中变得可以忍受。任何影响深远的变化都会对那些获得资源最少的人产生最大的影响。妇女受到贫困、冲突、暴力和虐待的影响尤为严重。由于教育和照顾的责任重回家庭，女性仍承担大部分责任。大多数将失去或降级的工作将是传统上由女性担任的工作。在女性进入公共领域经历了几代人痛苦缓慢的进步之后，有些人担心我们的生活会再次缩水。这意味着女性说话时发生的转变将停止发生。教育和学术生活和其他人一样感受到了这种影响。由于面对面的接触和对图书馆和其他资源的物理访问在瞬间被切断，我们不得不寻找新的教学和支持学生的方法，并为研究提供资源。许多学术生活已经转移到网上。接受高等教育或继续教育的教师在人们生活的关键时刻与人接触。大多数情况下，这些是年轻的学生、学徒或实习生，他们试探性地探索他们作为成年人、专业人士、研究人员和潜在的世界改变者将进入的世界。其他人则在中年或晚年开始学习，目的是改变职业、追求职业，或者只是进入一个他们早年无法进入的发现世界。我一生都在与成年归国者一起学习，