Martin, J orcid.org/0000-0002-0406-3151 and Allen, K orcid.org/0000-0002-5583-8519 (2023) Scripting the nation: Crisis celebrity, national treasures and welfare imaginaries in the pandemic. The Sociological Review. ISSN 0038-0261
Abstract
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrities occupied a highly contested space within the popular and political imaginary. Whilst the mass suffering unleashed by the pandemic led some to herald the death of celebrity culture, many celebrities also took part in fundraising initiatives, public health campaigns and philanthropic ventures, with some taking on the status of ‘national treasure’. This article examines two such figures who gained particular luminosity as ‘Covid Heroes’ for their charitable and campaigning work during the pandemic: war veteran Sir Captain Tom Moore and footballer Marcus Rashford. Through a discourse analysis of UK national newspaper articles and television documentaries, we consider what ideological work these celebrities perform within times of heightened crisis. The article expands upon Chris Greer and Eugene McLaughlin’s theorisation of the ‘national treasure’ in a number of ways, considering how, in ushering forth particular ideas about the nation, these figures secure or contest contemporary welfare imaginaries. Identifying how Rashford and Moore play a crucial role in what Stuart Hall called ‘scripting a national story’ within the pandemic, the article highlights the significance of ‘crisis celebrity’ as a site of hegemonic struggle over national identity, welfare, deservingness and belonging.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2023. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC-BY 4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Keywords: | celebrity, crisis, nationhood, pandemic, welfare |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Sociology and Social Policy (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 26 May 2023 20:59 |
Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2023 23:21 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00380261231165597 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/00380261231165597 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:199247 |