The book develops a novel framework for the analysis of global crises. It differentiates crises on three dimensions: permanent, recurring and ephemeral crises. This conceptualization allows us to analyze global crises not only in their immediate environment, but makes it possible to understand them in the broader context of social instability. The approach revolves around the terminology of discursive dislocation which provides fundamental insights into diverse forms of social instability. A multidimensional conceptualization of dislocation is advanced which informs the differentiation of global crises. Furthermore, a methodological toolkit is developed and tailored to the theoretical framework, which makes it possible to utilize the book both theoretically and methodologically for the analysis of manifold forms of global crises. The book also provides a comprehensive analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States under Donald Trump. Making use of the aforementioned methodology, it presents a hands-on illustration of how the multidimensional framework can be utilized for practical analyses. The analysis reveals how the construction of the Covid-19 pandemic is embedded in the historically ingrained self-portrayal of the United States, and how crisis responses are invoked to serve particular socio-political purposes in retaining an established vision of the United States.
Author(s): Nadine Klopf
Series: Global Political Sociology
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 254
City: Cham
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Structure of the Book
References
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 From Crisis Decision-Making to Discourse Theory
1.1 Crisis Decision-Making
1.1.1 Summary and Critique
1.2 Constructivism
1.2.1 Summary and Critique
1.3 Critical Realism
1.3.1 Summary and Critique
1.4 Discourse Theory
1.4.1 Summary and Critique
References
2 The Discursive Character of the Social
2.1 Foundations of Discourse Theory
2.1.1 Towards Poststructuralist Semiotics
2.2 Discourse and the Discursive
Notes
References
3 The Permanent Dimension of Dislocation
3.1 The Ontological Differentiation of Crisis
3.2 The Ambiguity of Dislocation
3.2.1 The Ambiguity of Dislocation in Poststructuralist Crisis Research
3.3 The Development of Permanent Dislocation
3.3.1 The Real
3.3.2 Hegemony
3.3.3 Ontological Lack
3.4 A Definition of Permanent Dislocation
3.4.1 Permanent Dislocation in Laclau’s Theory
3.4.2 Summary
Notes
References
4 The Recurring Dimension of Dislocation
4.1 The Development of Recurring Dislocation
4.1.1 Radical and Ontic Antagonism
4.1.2 Identification and Ontic Lack
4.1.3 Demands
4.2 A Definition of Recurring Dislocation
4.2.1 Recurring Dislocation in Laclau’s Theory
4.2.2 Summary
Notes
References
5 The Ephemeral Dimension of Dislocation
5.1 Ephemeral Dislocation and Crisis
5.2 A Definition of Ephemeral Dislocation
5.3 The Construction of Ephemeral Dislocation
5.3.1 Translocation
5.3.2 Summary
Notes
References
6 Discourse Analysis
6.1 Corpus Linguistics
6.1.1 A Guide for Analysis
6.2 Rhetorical Analysis
6.2.1 Difference and Equivalence
6.2.2 Hegemony
6.2.3 Antagonism
6.2.4 Dislocation
6.2.5 A Guide for Analysis
Note
References
7 The Coronavirus Crisis
7.1 The Coronavirus Crisis as Ephemeral Dislocation
7.1.1 The Construction of the Coronavirus Crisis
7.1.2 Healthcare
7.1.3 Economy and Defense
7.2 The Antagonistic Construction of the Coronavirus Crisis
7.2.1 Translocation
7.3 Permanent and Recurring Dislocation in the Coronavirus Crisis
7.3.1 Institutionalization
7.3.2 Conclusion
Notes
References
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
