DISCOURSEVAX · Institutional Theory and Discourse Analysis: an empirical investigation of the rhetoric of Anti Vaccination movement
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2020-01-01 → 2021-12-31
- EU contribution
- €174,167
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
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Results in brief
Institutional Theory and Discourse Analysis: an empirical investigation of the rhetoric of Anti Vaccination movement
Since decades, our society has been facing a worrying increase of public polarization towards divisive and controversial topics, such as the importance of vaccination. In the last decade, the anti-vaccination movement has attracted a heterogeneous set of actors who contest or refuse the vaccination benefits by attacking the legitimacy of established modern institutions, such as scientific community. DISCOURSEVAX project aims at studying the phenomenon of anti-vaccination movement as an exemplary case of how controversial issues might be revealing of a shared anti-establishment sentiment that might undermine institutional trust and maintenance. To do so, the project engages with the rhetorical discourse appeared online on Facebook that covers a decade (2010-2020) and shows how the anti-vaccination movement adherents rely on a set of frames – free choice, anti-capitalism, back to nature, and oppression and conspiracy – that combines a variety of different identities, actor roles, and arguments in ways that simultaneously enact multiple ‘truths’ for broader mobilization. Understanding the dynamics and the impact of how controversial issues are framed by public is crucial and a necessary building block to reach the European goals and to guarantee institutional well-being.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
DISCOURSEVAX project, by adopting a social constructivism perspective and discourse analysis of both verbal and visual texts (spread through press, media, and academic articles) aims at discovering how discourse maintains and reinforces institutions. By using the debate on vaccination that has been occurring in many European countries, this project is meant to provide both theoretical and empirical contributions to the European strategy. It aims to offer an original and innovative interpretation of this social phenomenon that has been involving organizations, institutions, and citizens. The European Commission, especially through European Commission's Directorate for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) aims to improve the health of their citizens and to ensure the accessibility, effectiveness and resilience of their health systems. Thus, a multimodal discourse analysis will be conducted, together with interviews to experts and key players involved in the debate (e.g. leaders of the Anti-Vaccine movement and field experts such as scientists). A second analysis will be conducted in England, at Cass Business School in London (UK) that hosts leading scholars of discourse analysis in organization studies. The research project, which will last 24 months, will mainly be conducted at the Research Institute for Urban Management and Governance in WU Vienna (Austria), under the supervision of Professor Renate E. Meyer, who is one of the most important expert in the research of multimodality, discourse analysis, and institutions. DISCOURSEVAX results will be disseminated and the action communicated with tailored measures to a wide audience, including the academic community, policy makers and the general public.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- WIRTSCHAFTSUNIVERSITAT WIEN · WienCoordinatorAustria
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union