Discourses of Disruption in Asia: Creating and Contesting Meaning in the Time of COVID-19 makes a unique contribution to research on meaning making in times of crisis. Using diverse analytical approaches to the study of languages in societies from the Asia-Pacific region, this volume explores the struggles over national identity and manifestations of socio-political issues in the context of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Each chapter interrogates how social actors in diverse communities across the Asia-Pacific region draw on discursive resources to address communication issues, particularly in relation to minoritized groups, claims for accountability, solidarity formation, national identities, government policy announcements, translation, and the efficacy of health-related discourses. This volume will be of interest to students and researchers in fields such as Language and Gender, Linguistic Anthropology, Sociolinguistics, Translation Studies, Social Semiotics, Media Studies, Political Science, Public Health, and Asian Studies.

Preface and Acknowledgements, Chapter 1 Creating and Contesting Meaning in a Global Health Crisis, Ikuko Nakane, Claire Maree, and Michael C. Ewing, Chapter 2 Martyrs in Masks: the “Battle-to-Saviour” Story Grammar of COVID-19 Coverage in Chinese Communist Party Media, Susanna Ackroyd, Chapter 3 What Has Machine Translation “Mis-Translated” about COVID-19? What “Mistakes” Can Tell us About Humanity that Machines Cannot, Wayne Wen-chun Liang, Ester S.M. Leung, and Chun Hin Tse, Chapter 4 From “Selfless Hospitality” to “Get Out”: Disrupting the 2020 Games, Claire Maree, Chapter 5 Political Leaders’ Discourse Addressing “Corona Discrimination” in Japan, Ikuko Nakane, Chapter 6 (Im)politeness of Masked and Non-Masked Faces in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Japan and Australia,Jun Ohashi, Chapter 7 COVID-19 and the Construction of Wuli (We): Marriage-Migrant Women and Care Discourses in South Korea, Mi Yung Park and Hakyoon Lee, Chapter 8 Movement Control Orders or “Making Confusing Orders”? Discourses of Confusion About Lockdowns in a Malaysian News Portal, Richard Powell and Zarina Othman, Chapter 9 Taiwan Inside and Out: Redefining the Self during the Pandemic, Craig A. Smith and Dayton Lekner, Chapter 10 Linguistic and Cultural Challenges in Chinese Translation of Government COVID-19 Health Information in Australia, Lachlan Thomas-Walters, Suqin Qian, and Delia Lin, Complete List of Works Cited