Semiotics of the COVID-19 Pandemic

<b>Focusing on the discursive dimension of the COVID-19 pandemic from a semiotic perspective this book uses semiotic theory and methods to analyse the meaning-making mechanisms and dynamics that occurred during and revolved around the pandemic.</b><br/> <br/> Demonstrating the utility of semiotic theory concepts and analytical methods to make sense of discursive phenomena like those triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic the book explores in detail: <br/> <br/> - the blame-attribution discourses that emerged at the beginning of the pandemic;<br/> - how the coronavirus was brought to life in plastic and visual manifestations as a monster that poses a threat to humans;<br/> - how the collective actor 'the healthcare workers' was constructed in discourse and axiologised in positive terms;<br/> - the semiotics of the body during the pandemic with a focus on the face facemasks social distancing and the uses of the body in online environments;<br/> - the idea of a 'new' normality following the pandemic.<br/> <br/> The book examines different dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic including examples from Europe Latin America and the United States and a wide range of images texts practices and objects in order to highlight the importance of its discursive and semiotic nature.