New Book Release: "Comparing the Place of Experts during the First Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic"

The Department of Romance and Languages is pleased to announce the release of the book Comparing the Place of Experts during the First Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic, published by Stockholm University Press. This book is the result of an interdisciplinary network aimed at comparing the effects of the pandemic on political discourse and practice.

The book highlights the emergence of forms of medical populism that challenge the validity of certain decisions, with popular figures promoting alternative approaches. However, it also shows that in some cases, complex mechanisms were put in place to validate decisions at multiple levels, through the creation of committees and task forces.

The selection of countries provides a relatively representative overview of the role of experts within different political systems. The use of methodologies from discourse analysis, political science, and media studies offers an original perspective on the role of expertise during the early waves of the pandemic.

The book is intended for researchers interested in how expert discourse is produced. It is also aimed at practitioners who want to learn more about the perception of experts in the media. In an interview with one of the co-editors, Jean-Michel De Waele (), he explains the background of the research network (Posoc19 network) that examined the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic from a comparative perspective.