Boosting nationalism through COVID-19 images: Multimodal construction of the failure of the ‘dear enemy’ with COVID-19 in the national press

Abstract

Using a multimodal discursive approach, this study explores how the COVID-19 pandemic is constructed and used in press reportage to mobilize intergroup relations and national identities. We examine how press reporting about the development of COVID-19 in Sweden is cast as a matter of nationalism and national stereotyping in the Finnish press. The data consist of 183 images with accompanying headlines and captions published in two Finnish national newspapers between January 1 and August 31, 2020. We found three multimodal rhetorical strategies of stereotyping: moralizing, demonizing, and nationalizing. These strategies construct discourses of arrogant, immoral, and dangerous Swedes sourcing from national stereotypes. The study contributes to current knowledge about the work on national stereotypes by illustrating how they are used in media discourse to achieve certain rhetorical ends, such as to persuade, mitigate, or justify intergroup relations. Furthermore, the study offers insight into the multimodal constructions and functions of stereotypes.

Nationalistic voices from Chinese elites at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in China

“…Discourse features, such as discursive inclusion/exclusion, categorisation, and polarisation (through positive/negative representations of Self/Others) are empirically identified as expressing and shaping nationalistic ideology (e.g. Amer, 2012; Gao, 2021; Kalim and Janjua, 2019; Martikainen and Sakki, 2021; Stoegner and Wodak, 2016; Wodak et al, 2009). In CDA, no less important is the context in which nationalistic discourse(s) are (re)produced.…”

“…In CDA, no less important is the context in which nationalistic discourse(s) are (re)produced. Historical and immediate contexts, such as the Nazi past in Austria (Wodak et al, 2009), persistent conflicts between Israel and the Palestinian people (Amer, 2012), positions of a political party (Stoegner and Wodak, 2016), and the recent COVID-19 pandemic (Martikainen and Sakki, 2021) are inextricably linked to the discursive strategies in the light of national-We and foreign-Others. Thus, historical, social, and political origins of nationalism from such contexts are paramount in analysing nationalistic discourse.…”

Doctors’ Orders vs. Politicians’ Bafflegab: Analysis of Iranian President’s and Deputy Health Minister’s Speeches on the Coronavirus Pandemic

“…Hence, a number of scholars have analyzed media coverage of COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of discourse analysis. Such studies focused on topics including media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and financial markets behavior in its shadow ( (Martikainen & Sakki 2021). Since the information provided by political actors plays a key role in the construction of our pictures of reality and keeping the country informed during the COVID-19 pandemic, various discourse studies focused on analyzing the behavior and discourse of politicians as a way to reveal their rhetorical strategies and hidden intentions.…”

Government nation building and memetic reactions: Different visions of the UK in COVID-19 related communication

“…Some studies have considered how COVID-19 relates to nationalism and ‘the nation’ in popular culture. For example, Martikainen and Sakki (2021) examine Finnish news coverage of Sweden’s response to COVID-19. They examine images and headlines and reveal how news media coverage is shaped by nationalism through ‘moralizing, demonizing, and nationalizing’ (Martikainen and Sakki, 2021: 388).…”

“…For example, Martikainen and Sakki (2021) examine Finnish news coverage of Sweden’s response to COVID-19. They examine images and headlines and reveal how news media coverage is shaped by nationalism through ‘moralizing, demonizing, and nationalizing’ (Martikainen and Sakki, 2021: 388). In another study, Tao (2021) examines how Chinese Weibo social media users encounter two dominant discourses about the nation when confronted with COVID-19 information: that is, ‘cyber nationalism and binary opposition between China and the rest of the world’ (Tao, 2021: 622).…”