Biopolitical Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Russia, France, Germany, and the UK: The “Post-Truth” Coverage by RT

Social Sciences

Alexandra Yatsyk¹ 

[1] Institut de Recherche Historique du Septentrion UMR 8529, CNRS, University of Lille, 59653 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France;

关键词: biopolitics;    COVID-19;    responsibility;    post-truth;    RT;   

DOI  :  10.3390/socsci11030139

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

This paper seeks to examine the COVID-19 crisis in Russia, France, Germany, and the UK, as covered by the Russian state media outlet RT (formerly Russia Today). I view the RT coverage through the prism of biopolitics and critical discourse analysis (CDA) to demonstrate multiple discrepancies in its “post-truth” knowledge production strategies. I argue that these strategies aim to expose the hybrid and controversial nature of biopolitical governance in Western democracies during the COVID-19 pandemic as they struggle to strike a balance between imposing social restrictions and safeguarding public health. I also show how the (post)liberal biopolitical debate on personal responsibility and state resilience in times of emergency could be applied by authoritarian regimes for self-description.

【 授权许可】

Unknown