Chapter 1 - Creating and Contesting Meaning in a Global Health Crisis

Summary

Abstract

In response to disruptions during COVID-19, individuals and communities have creatively utilised discursive systems to navigate tense social atmospheres in the Asia-Pacific region. The interactions between layers of discursive practice are a crucial component of agentative meaning making which can facilitate contestation and inclusivity at local and national levels. In this introduction we map out the terrain of research to date, and identify the key themes which extend across the volume. Four “threads” which emerge from the exploration of discourses of disruption are woven together to present the key findings. These four threads are: discourses of disruption as sites of power struggle, impact of public discourse on social cohesion, contested meanings and identity, and intersections of language and culture.

Keywords: COVID-19, Asia, discourse and power, disruptions, national identity, crisis discourse

Communication in a Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about major shifts in the ways in which individuals, organisations, and nations operate in the world. As the virus spread through the globe, human movements were restricted and public health measures such as mask wearing and social distancing became the “new normal.” Health authorities such as the World Health Organisation and disease control centres around the world issued updates and recommendations, leaders and governments engaged in public messaging to ensure proper implementation of public health measures, and individuals tried to make sense of what was happening by engaging with each other through social media and on- and off-line modes of contact. In a collective effort to contain this large-scale health emergency, communication has emerged as a crucial element of this disruptive global crisis. In crisis situations, the meanings we create, and the way we create those meanings impact on the life and death of people. The primary aim of this volume is to highlight the centrality of communication in the face of such a global health crisis. Our focus is on the ways in which “disruptions” in relation to COVID-19 were created, addressed, and exacerbated in public discourse in Asian contexts.

COVID-19 has caused not only illness to individuals, but also disruptions to our health systems and social coherence. Public health communication therefore not only sought to contain the virus, but also to mitigate the other disruptions it has caused (O’Hair and O’Hair, 2021).