It is a great pleasure for me to comment on the chapter by Fernandez Velasco, Perroy and Casati (2021) (Chapter 9) for three reasons. First, because it speaks to a topic of personal interest to me, which I have long been committed to researching; second, because it offers a broad treatment of the theme of disorientation that extends beyond the spatial dimension; and third, because it insightfully identifies disorientation as a key feature of the COVID-19 emergency we are currently going through. Spatial disorientation is of crucial relevance in the contemporary world and is ‘a profoundly geographical theme that concerns our relationship with space, places, the body, emotions, and time’ (Schmidt di Friedberg, 2018: 15). In their wide- ranging chapter, Fernandez Velasco et al examine both spatial and non-spatial forms of disorientation and the relationships between them, all against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic. The authors open the chapter by reporting on recent interest in disorientation in all its different forms and across different fields, whether spatial, cultural, political, social, or related to migrants and refugees, and presenting an up- to- the minute review of recent studies. Disorientation is a powerful metaphor for the contemporary era. It is used across a broad range of contexts, both spatial and non-spatial, to express the challenges associated with finding reference points in the world we live in. However, the authors of this chapter go beyond the metaphorical meaning of disorientation and usefully explore its inherently affective dimension. Disorientation – they argue – may be viewed as a metacognitive feeling that permeates the entire affective sphere, giving rise to experiences of ‘anxiety, confusion, helplessness and self- diminishment’. Hence, the methodological strength of the piece lies in Fernandez Velasco et al's successful investigation of both the metacognitive and affective aspects of the phenomenon of disorientation.

The authors approach the current pandemic as a highly topical and stimulating field of study within which to explore disorientation and its spatial and non-spatial dynamics. Their primary focus is exposing disorientation in its manifold forms as a leading feature of the COVID-19 crisis. Crucially, they point out the close connection between spatial and non-spatial forms of disorientation.