{"title":"Slogans, Pragmatism, and Crisis Response at the Grassroots Level: An Analysis of Anti-Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Anti-COVID-19) Slogans in China","authors":"Yang Liu, Kinglun Ngok","doi":"10.1177/18681026231205920","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"While slogans have been an indispensable propaganda and mobilisation tool in Chinese political life for a long time now, the unprecedented pressure brought by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic made them take on a totally new appearance. What, then, do these slogans look like? How do they work? By conducting a rhetorical analysis of 228 anti-COVID-19 slogans used by grassroots governments in China, this study further finds multiple persuasion strategies embedded in them. On the one hand, at the grassroots level eye-catching language and expressions are used to attract public attention, linking individuals’ behaviour to the interests of their families, as well as those of society and the country as a whole. On the other hand, those who violate government policies are negatively portrayed through a series of authoritative discourses. Behind these persuasion strategies lies a political pragmatism with regard to crisis response, attempting therewith to demonstrate and expand the legitimacy of the party-state. However, some slogans also contradict the Communist Party of China's advocacy of modernising the country's governance system and capacity, even though they may have been useful in slowing down or containing the spread of COVID-19.","PeriodicalId":37907,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Current Chinese Affairs","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2023-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Current Chinese Affairs","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/18681026231205920","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"Social Sciences","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
While slogans have been an indispensable propaganda and mobilisation tool in Chinese political life for a long time now, the unprecedented pressure brought by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic made them take on a totally new appearance. What, then, do these slogans look like? How do they work? By conducting a rhetorical analysis of 228 anti-COVID-19 slogans used by grassroots governments in China, this study further finds multiple persuasion strategies embedded in them. On the one hand, at the grassroots level eye-catching language and expressions are used to attract public attention, linking individuals’ behaviour to the interests of their families, as well as those of society and the country as a whole. On the other hand, those who violate government policies are negatively portrayed through a series of authoritative discourses. Behind these persuasion strategies lies a political pragmatism with regard to crisis response, attempting therewith to demonstrate and expand the legitimacy of the party-state. However, some slogans also contradict the Communist Party of China's advocacy of modernising the country's governance system and capacity, even though they may have been useful in slowing down or containing the spread of COVID-19.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Current Chinese Affairs is an internationally refereed academic journal published by the GIGA Institute of Asian Studies, Hamburg. The journal focuses on current developments in Greater China. It is simultaneously published (three times per year) online as an Open Access journal and as a printed version with a circulation of 1,000 copies, making it one of the world’s most widely read periodicals on Asian affairs. The Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, unlike some other Open Access publications, does not charge its authors any fee. The Journal of Current Chinese Affairs reaches a broad international readership in academia, administration and business circles. It is devoted to the transfer of scholarly insights to a wide audience. The journal is committed to publishing high-quality, original research on current issues in China in a format and style that is accessible across disciplines and to professionals with an interest in the region. The editors welcome contributions on current affairs within Greater China, including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Submissions can focus on emerging topics and current developments as well as on future-oriented debates in the fields of China''s global and regional roles; political, economic and social developments including foreign affairs, business, finance, cultural industries, religion, education, science and technology; and so on.