Communication in a Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about major shifts in the ways in which individuals, organisations, and nations operate in the world. As the virus spread through the globe, human movements were restricted and public health measures such as mask wearing and social distancing became the “new normal.” Health authorities such as the World Health Organisation and disease control centres around the world issued updates and recommendations, leaders and governments engaged in public messaging to ensure proper implementation of public health measures, and individuals tried to make sense of what was happening by engaging with each other through social media and on- and off-line modes of contact. In a collective effort to contain this large-scale health emergency, communication has emerged as a crucial element of this disruptive global crisis. In crisis situations, the meanings we create, and the way we create those meanings impact on the life and death of people. The primary aim of this volume is to highlight the centrality of communication in the face of such a global health crisis. Our focus is on the ways in which “disruptions” in relation to COVID-19 were created, addressed, and exacerbated in public discourse in Asian contexts.

COVID-19 has caused not only illness to individuals, but also disruptions to our health systems and social coherence. Public health communication therefore not only sought to contain the virus, but also to mitigate the other disruptions it has caused (O’Hair and O’Hair, 2021).

This volume emerges from collaborative research during the global pandemic by members of the Language Dynamics in the Asia-Pacific Research Cluster, Asia Institute, University of Melbourne. As borders closed and movement was restricted, even from our relatively privileged positions and being able to work from home during lockdowns, we struggled like many of our colleagues to find a balance between the expectations of teaching and research. Our monthly meetings were a source of support and collegiality that sustained us during difficult times, and we acknowledge the support of the Language Dynamics in the Asia-Pacific Research Cluster at the University of Melbourne. Thanks in particular go to Patrick Murphy and Tarek Makhlouf, who managed the administrative aspects of these gatherings while juggling their own PhD research during a pandemic. We thank our research assistant Tim Johannessen. We also thank the Asia Institute for its ongoing support of the research cluster, and this publication. We thank the Faculty of Arts for publication support.

Sections of some chapters were presented at “Quarantine, masks and dis/ease: social discourses of COVID-19 in Japan and Korea” on November 5, 2020. Many thanks to our colleague Melissa Conley Tyler (Research Fellow, Asia Institute) who chaired this session, and to Cathy Harper, Editor in Chief of the Melbourne Asia Review.

A note about the rendering of diverse languages across the chapters: as language specialists working in languages from the Asia region and writing in English, we have attempted to make the text as accessible as possible. Within the chapters, citations and examples are given in the source language, followed by a transliteration and translation. All translations are by the author of the chapter, unless otherwise stated.

Edited books are a product of collaboration and collegiality. We thank our contributors for their generosity in sharing their time and expertise. Without your support and assistance none of this would have been possible. We thank Ben Morgan for his excellent assistance in editing. We thank the anonymous reviewers whose comments we have taken on board as much as we can. We acknowledge and thank our editors at Leiden University Press: Romy Uijen, S.M. Gieling, Lisa van Vliet. Your patience in fielding questions and offering advice is very much appreciated.

Introduction

The 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, (hereafter 2020 Games) were postponed to the Northern Hemisphere summer of 2021 as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The conceptual welcoming of visitors to Japan which was mobilised through the notion of おもてなし [omotenashi] (hospitality) in the 2013 bid for the 2020 Games took on a decidedly “unwelcoming” turn as Tokyo and the surrounding areas entered a fourth period of state of emergency prior to the Opening Ceremony (July 23, 2021). An anti-Olympic movement had been active since the bidding stage (Holthus et al., 2020), but dissatisfaction grew even more acute as the domestic medical system came under great stress, a large percentage of the population were yet to be vaccinated, and borders remained closed to many non-Japanese residents. Reports of anti-Olympic protests appeared in the mainstream press globally as IOC members began to assemble for the Opening Ceremony and protestors gathered at key sites. The hashtag #バッハ帰れ [#Bachkaere] (#getoutBach) gained traction on social media.

Politeness and impoliteness are situated evaluations (Haugh, 2013, pp. 8–9; Davies et al., 2013) which are enacted within localised ideologies (Dunn, 2011; Eelen, 2001; Mills, 2003; Pizziconi, 2006). The omotenashi discourse emerging from the 2013 bid mobilises politeness in the preparation and staging of a mega-event, the hashtag activism using imperatives such as #Bachkaere mobilises impoliteness to contradict the polite posturing of the official discourse. Although very different genres, both campaigns mobilise im/politeness as a pivotal component and exploit social norms of what is, and how to be, polite (Watts, 1992; Jary, 1998, Ohashi, 2008).