The Sichuan Earthquake and the Heavenly Mandate: legitimizing Chinese rule through disaster discourse

Schneider, Florian; Hwang, Yih-Jye

doi:10.1080/10670564.2013.861145

Cited by 24 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For all of China, the 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake has been viewed as not only the most grievous natural disaster in the past three decades but also an indelible national trauma. National and local media organizations have extensively reported on the events related to the earthquake emphasizing post-disaster rebuilding and commemorative activities as a part of China’s centralized propaganda strategy [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Traumatic Growth Following Exposure to Memorial Reports of the 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake: The Moderating Roles of Self-Esteem and Long-Term PTSD Symptoms

Xia

Lin

2019

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Media exposure during a traumatic event has been found to be associated with negative psychological consequences. However, the post-disaster role of the mass media and the possible positive psychological consequences of media exposure has received less attention. In the present study, we hypothesized that exposure to memorial media reports would lead to improved post-traumatic growth (PTG). Further, we evaluated the moderating role of self-esteem and long-term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in the relationship between media exposure and PTG. Using a cross-sectional design, we surveyed individuals (N = 1000, mean age = 45.62, 43.5% male) who were recruited from disaster-affected communities ten years after the 5.12 Wenchuan earthquake which was the largest country-level trauma in the past three decades. Results revealed that individuals with lower self-esteem or lower PTSD symptoms would have higher psychological growth with greater exposure to memorial news reports. For individuals who reported having both high levels of self-esteem and PTSD symptoms, the relationship between media exposure and PTG was negative. These findings help present trauma in a new light, particularly regarding the rapid and instantaneous new coverage of the digital age. This study also has multi-disciplinary, cross-cultural, and clinical implications for the fields of psychology, public health, and communications.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Traumatic Growth Following Exposure to Memorial Reports of the 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake: The Moderating Roles of Self-Esteem and Long-Term PTSD Symptoms

Xia

Lin

2019

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As such, they can become spectacles or be kept silent, and may highlight different kinds of potential responses depending on the way they are reported (e.g., Chouliaraki, 2006;Orgad, 2012; see also Cottle, 2009Cottle, , 2011Cottle, , 2012Cottle, , 2014Pantti et al, 2012). Thus, whereas some disasters may prompt political, social, or cultural transformations (e.g., Mihelj, 2008;Seeck & Rantanen, 2015), others -particularly their symbolic or discursive construction -can be appropriated by elites to promote particular agendas or reinforce positions of power (e.g., Bennett, Lawrence, & Livingston, 2007;Klein, 2008;Tierney, Bevc, & Kuligowski, 2006;Schneider & Hwang, 2014; for a more detailed discussion about this point, see Cottle, 2009Cottle, , 2011Cottle, , 2012Cottle, , 2014Pantti et al, 2012).…”

Section: Media Events: Integrative or Disruptive?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrative Disruption

Jiménez‐Martínez

2016

Advances in Media, Entertainment, and the Arts

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Generally speaking, the study of media events as tools of political communication seems to have mainly focused on “integrative” events, such as sports competitions or staged celebrations (e.g. Dayan & Katz, 1992; Rivenburgh, 2010). Lately, there have also been calls to study “disruptive” situations, particularly terrorist acts (e.g. Katz & Liebes, 2007). Limited attention has been paid to the role that natural disasters or other catastrophes may play in this realm (e.g. Cottle, 2011). My chapter attempts to contribute in the latter line, focusing on the rescue of the Chilean miners of October 2010 and which arguably became one of the most relevant media events of recent history. Using Critical Discourse Analysis to examine the narratives constructed during the live coverage by local television station TVN and global broadcaster BBC World News, this chapter argues that, from a theoretical point of view, traditional categories such as “integrative” or “disruptive” appear to be ill equipped to deal with the current complexity of media events. In addition, despite the different accounts constructed by local and global media, media events seem to be much more cohesive and restricted to what has been recently argued by some scholars (e.g. Hepp & Couldry, 2010). Thus, it appears that governments can potentially use catastrophes to build narratives useful to advance different political, economic or cultural purposes. However, in order to reach that cohesion, a series of controversial issues are left out of these narratives, for instance, in this case, the responsibility of the owners of the mine in the accident, the poor security conditions of the excavation site or the fierce control of communications imposed by the government.

show abstract

“…In general, states attempt to manage the meanings of disasters and the corresponding relief efforts in ways that further their own political interests (Janku et al, 2012: 8–12; Schneider and Hwang, 2014: 641, 644). So, at the same time as mounting its relief effort, the Manchukuo state constructed a narrative of its response that resonated with its ideological claims to legitimacy.…”

Section: Propaganda and Counter-propaganda In Manchukuomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Centrally, states attempt to put their relief efforts in the context of their main legitimating slogans—for the Guomindang, Sun Yat-sen’s Principle of People’s Livelihood (Janku, 2012: 244, 255), for the twenty-first century Communist Party state, “putting the people first” 以人為本 (Schneider and Hwang, 2014: 644), for the Manchukuo state, the Kingly Way. The Shengjing shibao (August 12, 1932: 1) editorialized that the response to the floods would show whether the Kingly Way was more than a mere slogan, and whether things had really changed since the warlords.…”

Section: Propaganda and Counter-propaganda In Manchukuomentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Legitimacy and Disaster

Wright

2016

Modern China

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The very existence of the new state of Manchukuo was contested throughout the 1930s. Despite its colonial reality, its form as a nation-state necessitated an attempt to generate legitimacy, and its best hope lay in performance legitimacy as a modernizing and developmental state delivering public goods and offering honest and efficient government. Less than a year after its establishment, the new state faced a crisis caused by large-scale floods in the north of the region. This article examines how it attempted to build performance legitimacy even in a quasi-colonial situation by establishing institutions and raising funds to mount a relief effort, providing food, shelter, and medical care, and in the longer term restoring state capacity by maintaining order, reopening communications, and instituting flood prevention measures. At the same time, it generated a narrative that linked that effort to its broader ideological claims to legitimacy.

show abstract

The Sichuan Earthquake and the Heavenly Mandate: legitimizing Chinese rule through disaster discourse

Cited by 24 publications

References 0 publications

Post-Traumatic Growth Following Exposure to Memorial Reports of the 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake: The Moderating Roles of Self-Esteem and Long-Term PTSD Symptoms

Post-Traumatic Growth Following Exposure to Memorial Reports of the 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake: The Moderating Roles of Self-Esteem and Long-Term PTSD Symptoms

Integrative Disruption

Legitimacy and Disaster

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About