David versus Goliath - The resistance of non-humans in the translation process: the case of the new coronavirus disinteressement

Abstract

Based on the sociology of translation, we studied the extreme case of the new coronavirus to explore the role of non-humans in relational processes. We seek to understand how leaders of three countries tried, in a translation process, to take the voice of the new coronavirus and how the virus resisted the imposition of roles by the human actors of the study. Through the analysis of the leaders’ statements, interviews, and social media posts, we suggested the process of disinteressement, in four movements. As a contribution, we show how the non-human actant (i) is active in terms of participation in the translation process, and (ii) resisted the roles imposed.