Sloganization of border discourse: political slogans on the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

This study focuses on the sloganization of the political discourse on Covid-19 and borders during the first months of the pandemic. First, it reviews how borders have been managed to prevent the spread of the virus. Next, the concepts of disinformation and propaganda are briefly discussed as phenomena that have implicitly underpinned the expansion and research of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and the phenomenon of sloganization is described from the theoretical perspective of framing. Finally, two cases of sloganized discourse are analyzed: «The Chinese virus» and «This virus knows no borders», through the qualitative content analysis (QCA). The analysis shows that both cases oversimplify the complexity of pandemic management, cover up controversial decisions, and centrifuge responsibilities. The conclusions underline how the sloganization of the political discourse can be located in a border area between propaganda and disinformation, and the gestation mechanisms as well as the conceptual and formal characteristics of the slogans are systematized to approach them from the critical literacy.