Home economics, the COVID-19 global pandemic and beyond

As the world continues to pivot in response to the disruptive influences of the COVID-19 pandemic, our everyday lives are suspended in a liminal space—no longer completely familiar and lacking predictability; but not yet reconstituted to the new normal, indeed not knowing when and what that might be. We are in a transition space. In this paper, we explore the impact of the pandemic on those domains most familiar to home economics—individual, family and community—and look at key interfaces where home economics literacy has the potential to contribute to shaping our future, including: the notion of home; food literacy; financial literacy; social and emotional wellbeing; and building sustainable futures. Finally, we present a visual story of the Special Issue of the International Journal of Home Economics dedicated to the COVID-19 pandemic, to determine what home economists are focussing on at this time of global crisis.