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

Author

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  • Alexandra Yatsyk

    (Institut de Recherche Historique du Septentrion UMR 8529, CNRS, University of Lille, 59653 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France
    Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu, 51003 Tartu, Estonia)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexandra Yatsyk, 2022. "Biopolitical Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Russia, France, Germany, and the UK: The “Post-Truth” Coverage by RT," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-15, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:11:y:2022:i:3:p:139-:d:774139
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Isabela Fairclough & Norman Fairclough, 2013. "Argument, Deliberation, Dialectic and the Nature of the Political: A CDA Perspective," Political Studies Review, Political Studies Association, vol. 11(3), pages 336-344, September.
    2. Katarina Giritli Nygren & Anna Olofsson, 2020. "Managing the Covid-19 pandemic through individual responsibility: the consequences of a world risk society and enhanced ethopolitics," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(7-8), pages 1031-1035, August.
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