Swedish exceptionalism and the Sars‐CoV2 pandemic crisis: Representations of crisis and national identity in the public sphere

IF 1.9 Q3 PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy Pub Date : 2022-03-09 DOI:10.1002/rhc3.12247

Sandra Simonsen

引用次数: 3

Abstract

Abstract In abstaining from law‐enforced virus containment measures, the Swedish response to the severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic crisis stood out as radically different compared to other European nations. The present study aims to provide an understanding of the deviant Swedish crisis strategy and to do so from a cultural perspective by illustrating how the crisis and national self‐identification were interpreted and contested in the public sphere. Drawing on a content analysis of claims made by politicians, scientific experts, public intellectuals, journalists, and editors, I illustrate how crisis response was associated with collective, national identity and how this identity was said to enable an exceptional crisis response. This association, I argue, gave rise to the stigmatization of dissident voices that were accused of undermining social order. Responding to a call by crisis researchers, the present study serves as an attempt to bring social and cultural factors back into the center of crisis research.

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瑞典例外论与Sars - CoV2大流行危机:公共领域危机和国家认同的表现

摘要瑞典对严重呼吸综合征冠状病毒2型大流行危机的反应与其他欧洲国家截然不同，放弃了法律强制执行的病毒遏制措施。本研究旨在通过说明危机和国家自我认同在公共领域是如何被解读和争论的，从文化角度理解瑞典的越轨危机战略。根据对政治家、科学专家、公共知识分子、记者和编辑的声明的内容分析，我阐述了危机应对如何与集体、国家认同联系在一起，以及这种认同如何被认为能够实现特殊的危机应对。我认为，这种联系导致了对被指控破坏社会秩序的持不同政见者的污名化。根据危机研究人员的呼吁，本研究试图将社会和文化因素重新纳入危机研究的中心。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION-

CiteScore

7.50

自引率

8.60%

发文量

期刊介绍： Scholarship on risk, hazards, and crises (emergencies, disasters, or public policy/organizational crises) has developed into mature and distinct fields of inquiry. Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy (RHCPP) addresses the governance implications of the important questions raised for the respective fields. The relationships between risk, hazards, and crisis raise fundamental questions with broad social science and policy implications. During unstable situations of acute or chronic danger and substantial uncertainty (i.e. a crisis), important and deeply rooted societal institutions, norms, and values come into play. The purpose of RHCPP is to provide a forum for research and commentary that examines societies’ understanding of and measures to address risk,hazards, and crises, how public policies do and should address these concerns, and to what effect. The journal is explicitly designed to encourage a broad range of perspectives by integrating work from a variety of disciplines. The journal will look at social science theory and policy design across the spectrum of risks and crises — including natural and technological hazards, public health crises, terrorism, and societal and environmental disasters. Papers will analyze the ways societies deal with both unpredictable and predictable events as public policy questions, which include topics such as crisis governance, loss and liability, emergency response, agenda setting, and the social and cultural contexts in which hazards, risks and crises are perceived and defined. Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy invites dialogue and is open to new approaches. We seek scholarly work that combines academic quality with practical relevance. We especially welcome authors writing on the governance of risk and crises to submit their manuscripts.