Introduction

Blanc-Chaléard, Marie-Claude; Douki, Caroline; Dulphy, Anne; Matard-Bonucci, Marie-Anne

doi:10.4000/books.pur.49144

Cited by 1 publication

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“…Italy, too, lacks a strong unified symbolic repertoire at the national level because post-war political authorities needed to distance themselves from the legacy of fascism, which had tried to create a national ‘civic religion’ (Lazar, 2014; Pécout, 2009). Thus, for a long time, public and political authorities resisted rituals with explicitly national content and limited the use of patriotic symbols.…”

Section: Analytical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performing Crisis Management: National Repertoires of Symbolic Action and Their Usage during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Europe

2021

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The role of the symbolic is often overlooked in the public policy literature. Yet, it is a key component of public action, particularly in crisis management. During the Covid-19 pandemic, all democratic states needed to carry out cognitive and emotional work to persuade their citizens to show solidarity and comply with heavy restrictions. The near-simultaneous occurrence of the pandemic’s first wave (March–May 2020) allows us to compare the patterns of symbolic crisis management across four European countries (France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom). Our analysis finds significant variation in governments’ usage of the symbolic. We analyse leaders’ performances (wordcraft and stagecraft) as they try to reassure citizens, unite the nation, and legitimise themselves and their decisions. Our article shows not only that national leaders pay great attention to the symbolic in the management of crises, but also that their performances differ systematically in line with their personas and distinct national political cultures.

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Section: Analytical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%