Table Of Content‘In 2020 the global workplace underwent a fundamental change with the al-
most wholesale transfer of communicative labour from physical spaces in the real
world to virtual spaces online. This has had profound implications not only for
the way we work but also for how we communicate with one another as human
beings. In this much needed volume, Fiona Rossette-Crake and Elvis Buckwal-
ter present a pluridisciplinary range of contributions which reveal the manifold
experience of remote working in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For scholars and students interested in how the pandemic has impacted on work
in the domains of discourse, communication, linguistic diversity, culture, man-
agement, public messaging, government policy or the operations of biopower
and surveillance, this collection is essential reading.’
John O’Regan, Professor of Critical Applied Linguistics,
University College London, UK
‘This volume is one of the first to take stock of the fundamental changes brought
on by the pandemic, both in how we as a society interact about a global crisis,
and how it affects our interactions in professional situations. The professional
and research insights from a group of thought leaders will appeal to an interdis-
ciplinary audience interested in exploring the pandemic through the lenses of
communication, culture and organisation.’
Erika Darics, Lecturer in Communication and Information
Science, University of Groningen, Netherlands
‘Of course, COVID-19 has been thoroughly researched from a public health and
epidemiology perspective. But it is so good to see scholars in social sciences and
communication get involved too, foregrounding other, equally relevant issues
like responsibility, power and trust through the powerful lenses of discourse,
narrative and culture. This is a highly welcome, timely volume indeed.’
Geert Jacobs, Professor of English Business Communication,
Ghent University, Belgium
COVID-19, COMMUNICATION
AND CULTURE
This book analyses some of the many upheavals brought about by the COVID-19
pandemic through the lens of the COVID-19–communication–culture inter-
face, with a particular focus on the new global, virtual workplace. It brings
together a pluridisciplinary and multinational team of researchers from the fields
of sociology and organisational studies, discourse analysis, linguistics, commu-
nication and cultural studies, and includes testimonials from actors within the
professional sector such as international managers, consultants and foreign trade
advisors.
The collection examines a wide range of phenomena including communica-
tion on the pandemic by public authorities, the pandemic as a discursive con-
struct, the digital turn and its impact on communication, the role of social media,
as well as national diplomacy and questions of surveillance, (bio)power and trust.
Issues pertaining specifically to the workplace focus on the impact of remote
work, including the challenge of building cohesive work relations and managing
cultural difference, distance recruitment, the new forms of professional online
communication, the future of the remote work model and questions of iden-
tity that are underpinned by the culture of professions. It aims to theoretically
inform some of the enormous changes which have been brought about by the
COVID-19 pandemic at multiple levels of our professional and social lives. It
concludes with a virtual round-table discussion on the question of cultural dif-
ference with respect to both the pandemic itself and work practice.
COVID-19, Communication and Culture: Beyond the Global Workplace will be
of great interest to academics and professionals interested in the communication
and discourse and the cultural impact of COVID-19.
Fiona Rossette-Crake is Professor in the Department of Applied Languages
at Université Paris Nanterre, France. Her research explores specialised commu-
nication, particularly new forms of public speaking. She is the author of Public
Speaking and the New Oratory: A Guide for Non-native Speakers (Palgrave Macmil-
lan, 2019) and numerous journal articles.
Elvis Buckwalter is Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Lan-
guages at Université Paris Nanterre, France, and Director of Professional English
Training at Centre de Techniques Internationales (CTI) and Centre d’Etudes
Supérieures du Commerce International (CESCI). His research focuses on inter-
national marketing and trade and cultural studies.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Series
Series Editor: J. Michael Ryan
This series examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals,
communities, countries, and the larger global society from a social scientific
perspective. It represents a timely and critical advance in knowledge related to
what many believe to be the greatest threat to global ways of being in more than
a century. It is imperative that academics take their rightful place alongside med-
ical professionals as the world attempts to figure out how to deal with the current
global pandemic, and how society might move forward in the future. This series
represents a response to that imperative.
Titles in this Series:
COVID-19 and Childhood Inequality
Edited by Nazneen Khan
The Color of COVID-19
The Racial Inequality of Marginalized Communities
Edited by Sharon A. Navarro and Samantha L. Hernandez
COVID-19, Communication and Culture
Beyond the Global Workplace
Edited by Fiona Rossette-Crake and Elvis Buckwalter
Social and Political Representations of the COVID-19 Crisis
Daniel Feierstein
Playful Pedagogy in the Pandemic
Pivoting to Games-Based Learning
Emily K. Johnson and Anastasia Salter
For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge. com
COVID-19,
COMMUNICATION AND
CULTURE
Beyond the Global Workplace
Edited by
Fiona Rossette-Crake and
Elvis Buckwalter
Cover image: © Getty Images (Sorbetto)
First published 2023
by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
© 2023 selection and editorial matter, Fiona Rossette-Crake and
Elvis Buckwalter; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Fiona Rossette-Crake and Elvis Buckwalter to be identified
as author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual
chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 9781032232638 (hbk)
ISBN: 9781032232614 (pbk)
ISBN: 9781003276517 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003276517
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