Vulnerable, recalcitrant and resilient: a Foucauldian discourse analysis of risk and older people within the context of COVID-19 news media

Authors

Marjorie Skoss, Edith Cowan University
Rachel Batten, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Patricia Cain, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Mandy Stanley, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow

Author Identifier

Rachel Batten

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2451-7472

Patricia Cain

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4377-3690

Mandy Stanley

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7958-5181

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

Aging and Society

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

School

School of Nursing and Midwifery / Centre for Research in Aged Care

RAS ID

45423

Comments

Skoss, M., Batten, R., Cain, P., & Stanley, M. (2024). Vulnerable, recalcitrant and resilient: a Foucauldian discourse analysis of risk and older people within the context of COVID-19 news media. Ageing & Society, 44(7), 1579-1596. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X22000897

Abstract

Risk is an innate and integral part of everyday life and is present in simple, everyday occupations and complex actions. Age-related stereotypes can mean older people have little opportunity to engage in activities that present some degree of risk. The present study explores the discourse around risk and older people in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated news media as a reflection of the dominant public discourse around older people's behaviour to identify how risk is represented in relation to occupational engagement. Texts relating to older people and COVID-19 were sourced from the West Australian newspaper for a period of two months. Seventy texts were subject to Foucauldian discourse analysis to identify subject positions, location of risk and discursive features. Findings indicate that older people were segregated from the rest of society, with their behaviours framed in mostly negative ways. We identified three areas of discourse: vulnerable, and in need of protection; recalcitrant, and in need of management; and resilient, deserving of respect. While we recognise competing representations, implicit within the dominant discourse was the premise that older people were not capable of mediating risks and required ‘management’. These findings highlight the role of surveillance in restricting occupational engagement for older people and carry implications for older people, the public and therapists.

DOI

10.1017/S0144686X22000897

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.