Is social semiotics a unitary research field? An introductory and comparative mapping of Argentinean, Brazilian, French, Italian and English-speaking semiotic approaches to social meaning-making

In the 1980s, researchers from different academic circles around the world started paying attention to the functioning of the social realm with a focus on signification and sense-making. Since then, they have shown particular interest in  studying practices, interactions and spatiality, among other objects of study, as activities that convey social meaning and produce sense. This is how the field of social semiotics emerged within general semiotics. However, the emergence of this new research field occurred in a fragmented manner. Nowadays, English-speaking ‘social semiotics’ coexists with at least two French sociosémiotiques, with Argentinean sociosemiótica, with Italian sociosemiotica and with Brazilian sociossemiótica. This article examines these five accounts of social semiotics in a comparative manner with a focus on the theoretical and methodological references they use as their sources. Therefore, the article should function as an introductory roadmap for researchers within the social and human sciences interested in approaching contemporary social semiotics and sociosemiotic research.In the 1980s, researchers from different academic circles around the world started paying attention to the functioning of the social realm with a focus on signification and sense-making. Since then, they have shown particular interest in  studying practices, interactions and spatiality, among other objects of study, as activities that convey social meaning and produce sense. This is how the field of social semiotics emerged within general semiotics. However, the emergence of this new research field occurred in a fragmented manner. Nowadays, English-speaking ‘social semiotics’ coexists with at least two French sociosémiotiques, with Argentinean sociosemiótica, with Italian sociosemiotica and with Brazilian sociossemiótica. This article examines these five accounts of social semiotics in a comparative manner with a focus on the theoretical and methodological references they use as their sources. Therefore, the article should function as an introductory roadmap for researchers within the social and human sciences interested in approaching contemporary social semiotics and sociosemiotic research

Is social semiotics a unitary research field? An introductory and comparative mapping of Argentinean, Brazilian, French, Italian and English-speaking semiotic approaches to social meaning-making

In the 1980s, researchers from different academic circles around the world started paying attention to the functioning of the social realm with a focus on signification and sense-making. Since then, they have shown particular interest in  studying practices, interactions and spatiality, among other objects of study, as activities that convey social meaning and produce sense. This is how the field of social semiotics emerged within general semiotics. However, the emergence of this new research field occurred in a fragmented manner. Nowadays, English-speaking ‘social semiotics’ coexists with at least two French sociosémiotiques, with Argentinean sociosemiótica, with Italian sociosemiotica and with Brazilian sociossemiótica. This article examines these five accounts of social semiotics in a comparative manner with a focus on the theoretical and methodological references they use as their sources. Therefore, the article should function as an introductory roadmap for researchers within the social and human sciences interested in approaching contemporary social semiotics and sociosemiotic research.In the 1980s, researchers from different academic circles around the world started paying attention to the functioning of the social realm with a focus on signification and sense-making. Since then, they have shown particular interest in  studying practices, interactions and spatiality, among other objects of study, as activities that convey social meaning and produce sense. This is how the field of social semiotics emerged within general semiotics. However, the emergence of this new research field occurred in a fragmented manner. Nowadays, English-speaking ‘social semiotics’ coexists with at least two French sociosémiotiques, with Argentinean sociosemiótica, with Italian sociosemiotica and with Brazilian sociossemiótica. This article examines these five accounts of social semiotics in a comparative manner with a focus on the theoretical and methodological references they use as their sources. Therefore, the article should function as an introductory roadmap for researchers within the social and human sciences interested in approaching contemporary social semiotics and sociosemiotic research

Somebody to blame: on the construction of the other in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak

Besides the impact that COVID-19 has had in the sanitary, political and economic domains, it has also triggered multiple discursive processes, what opens up the field for an analysis from sociosemiotics, the social science interested in the study of "meaning in action". The aim of this article is to discuss from such a perspective how the current crisis linked to the COVID-19 virus has given place to the emergence of processes of narrative construction of an "Other" to be blamed for the threat. While in some contexts the dominant narrative has been that COVID-19 is "the Chinese" -and their unhealthy culinary habits- fault, in others the focus has been set on ‘the irresponsible’ that do not stay home when indicated to do so, as well as on "the posh", given that they can afford travelling and hence can import the virus on their return. Departing from the premise which poses that cognition is articulated in narrative terms, the article argues how, in cases such as the current COVID-19 crisis, a discursive construction of collective actors by means of mechanisms of actorialization, generalization and axiologization is necessary for the dynamics of blame-attribution

De entidad biológica a monstruo social: Una construcción semiótica del coronavirus durante la pandemia de COVID-19

During the first half of 2020, the novel coronavirus —a biological entity invisible to the human eye— was represented in multiple images, audiovisual products, descriptions, narratives and other modes of visual and verbal articulation. Many of these were developed by international organizations, governments and media outlets, amongst other social actors, with the aim of rendering the threat posed by the virus more tangible. At the same time, these representations also helped shape how people made sense of it in cognitive and emotional terms. Assuming that social reality is constructed in multiple and dynamic processes and interactions that imply the production, distribution and consumption of meaning at various levels, this article examines from a semiotic perspective one of the modes of representations of the coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic: the one grounded on the overarching narrative that depicted the virus as an evil enemy that poses a threat to humanity and that, consequently, needs to be fought. The article organizes the study of a number of representations of the coronavirus in three levels —the iconic, the axiological and the narrative— and discusses how the discursive construction of an enemy involves a series of mechanisms of semiotic nature that, besides somehow representing it, also shape its social construction.   *This article was originally published in 2020, in English, under the title "From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic," in the Italian journal Fuori Luogo, 7(1), pp. 105-115. DOI https://doi.org/10.6092/2723-9608/7041. The translation from English to Spanish —which is unchanged from the original version, except for the addition of new bibliographic entries— was done by the author.Durante la primera mitad del 2020, el ‘nuevo coronavirus’, una entidad biológica invisible al ojo humano, fue representado en múltiples imágenes, productos audiovisuales, descripciones, narrativas y otros modos de articulación visual y verbal. Muchas de estas articulaciones fueron producidas por organismos internacionales, gobiernos y medios de comunicación, entre otros actores sociales, con el objetivo de hacer más tangible la amenaza representada por el virus. Al mismo tiempo, estas representaciones ayudaron a moldear cómo las personas le atribuyeron un sentido al virus, tanto en términos cognitivos como emocionales. Con apoyo en la premisa de que la realidad social se construye en procesos e interacciones múltiples y dinámicos que implican la producción, la distribución y el consumo de sentido en varios niveles, este artículo examina desde una perspectiva semiótica uno de los modos en que el coronavirus fue representado durante la pandemia del COVID-19: el que presentó al coronavirus como un enemigo malvado que es una amenaza para la humanidad y que, por lo tanto, debe ser combatido. El artículo organiza el estudio de un conjunto de representaciones del coronavirus en tres niveles —icónico, axiológico y narrativo— y discute cómo la construcción discursiva de un enemigo involucra siempre una serie de mecanismos de naturaleza semiótica que, además de representarlo, contribuyen a su construcción social.   *Este artículo fue publicado originalmente en el año 2020, en inglés, con el título “From a Biological Entity to a Social Monster. A Semiotic Construction of the Coronavirus During the Covid-19 Pandemic”, en la revista italiana Fuori Luogo, 7(1), pp. 105-115. DOI https://doi.org/10.6092/2723-9608/7041. La traducción del inglés al español —que no presenta cambios respecto a la versión original, salvo por la incorporación de nuevas entradas bibliográficas— fue realizada por su autor

A Construção de Futuros Plausíveis na Literatura Distópica: Uma Abordagem Teórica da Semiótica Social e Cultural

Dystopian fiction is a discursive genre made up of cultural products (literary texts, movies, series) aimed at producing a particular type of effects of sense in the model reader: ideally, in consuming them, readers will be capable of conducting a critical evaluation of their socio-political circumstances. Thus, dystopian fiction – which is a fictional discourse – aims at being the source of socio-political change through the intervention in the discursive sphere of the non-fictional. This article approaches the genre of dystopian fiction in literature from a semiotic perspective. Specifically, it focuses on studying the type of imagination and construction of possible worlds that define it. The thesis it presents is that dystopian fiction is characterised by a construction of futures that are plausible, that is, that have an anchorage in reality as it is and are therefore viable,unlike what happens in science fiction. La ficción distópica es un género discursivo conformado por productos culturales (textos literarios, películas, series) orientados a producir un tipo particular de efectos de sentido en el lector modelo: idealmente, al consumirlos, los lectores serán capaces de realizar una evaluación crítica de sus circunstancias sociopolíticas. Por lo tanto, la ficción distópica, que es un discurso ficcional, pretende ser motor del cambio sociopolítico mediante la intervención en la esfera discursiva de lo no ficcional. Este artículo se aproxima al género de la ficción distópica en literatura desde una perspectiva semiótica. Específicamente, estudia el tipo de imaginación y de construcción de mundos posibles que lo definen. La tesis que presenta es que la ficción distópica se caracteriza por una construcción de futuros que son plausibles, esto es, que tienen un anclaje en la realidad tal cual es y que, por lo tanto, son viables, a diferencia de lo que ocurre en la ciencia ficciónA ficção distópica é um género discursivo composto por produtos culturais (textos literários, filmes, series) destinados a produzir um tipo particular de efeitos de sentido no leitor modelo: idealmente, ao consumir esses produtos, os leitores serão capazes de fazer uma avaliação crítica das suas circunstâncias sociopolíticas. Assim, a ficção distópica, que é um discurso ficcional, pretende ser motor de mudança sócio-política mediante a intervenção na esfera discursiva do não ficcional. Este artigo aborda o génerode ficção distópica em literatura a partir de uma perspectiva semiótica. Especificamente, concentra-se no estudo do tipo de imaginação e construção dos mundos possíveis que o definem. A tese que apresenta é que a ficção distópica é caracterizada por uma construção de futuros que são plausíveis, ou seja, que têm uma ancoragem na realidade tal como ela é e são portanto viáveis, ao contrário do que ocorre na ficção científica

Los outsiders de la política uruguaya: abordaje desde la semiótica

This article studies from a semiotic perspective the recent irruption of outsider candidates in the Uruguayan political scene. Specifically, it focuses in four candidates. Three of them gained visibility within the framework of the 2019 Uruguayan national elections – these are Ernesto Talvi, Juan Sartori and Guido Manini Ríos. In addition, the article also includes an analysis of Edgardo Novick, a fourth candidate that joined politics in 2015 as an outsider. The article discusses how these four candidates constructed their positioning within the Uruguayan political scene through the categories of “the academic”, “the businessman”, “the military soldier” and “the hard-worker”, respectively, all of them based on their professional activities prior to joining politics.Este artículo estudia desde una perspectiva semiótica la reciente aparición en el escenario político uruguayo de candidatos outsiders. Concretamente, se trabaja sobre la base de cuatro figuras, tres de las cuales cobraron notoriedad en el marco de las elecciones nacionales de 2019: Ernesto Talvi, Juan Sartori y Guido Manini Ríos. Para complementar el análisis, se estudia también la figura de Edgardo Novick, cuyo ingreso a la política, que data de 2015, constituye también un interesante caso de outsider. El artículo discute cómo los cuatro candidatos construyeron su posicionamiento dentro del escenario político uruguayo a partir de las categorías “el académico”, “el empresario”, “el militar” y “el laburante”, respectivamente, todas vinculadas con su actividad previa a la incursión en política

El valor semiótico de la fotografía de archivo en la negociación de sentido sobre el pasado reciente. Análisis de una pieza fotográfica de Amnistía Internacional sobre los desaparecidos

Este trabajo se encuadra dentro de la discusión sobre la fotografía de archivo como recurso semiótico valioso para la negociación de sentido que un colectivo social hace de su pasado reciente. En este marco, se propone un análisis semiótico de una de las piezas fotográficas que integran la campaña de Amnistía Internacional Uruguay sobre los detenidos-desaparecidos (2012). El análisis sugiere que las fotografías pertenecientes a los archivos privados de los detenidos-desaparecidos y sus familiares juegan un rol importante en el proceso de sanación colectiva, en tanto contribuyen a la creación del actor colectivo de los ‘desaparecidos’ en el discurso social. En tanto recursos visuales enmarcados en un determinado contexto de sentido, las fotografías de archivo ameritan un estudio desde la semiótica

Populism and the reshaping of the political imaginary

Este artículo fue publicado originalmente en 2019, en inglés, con el título «Populism and the Reshaping of the Political Imaginary», en la revista italiana Im@go. A Journal of the Social Imaginary, 14, p. 37-53. La versión en español presenta algunas modificaciones menores respecto al texto original, que son resultado de los comentarios realizados por los dos revisores anónimos que evaluaron esta versión del texto. La traducción del inglés al español fue realizada por el autor.Desde un marco teórico sociosemiótico, este artículo sostiene que el populismo — independientemente de lo que sea desde el punto de vista genérico— implica un cuestionamiento del modo en que los miembros de la sociedad imaginan lo político, particularmente aquellos que puedan sentirse más marginados y excluidos de la política mainstream. Si lo político es concebido como un campo discursivo específico en el que los actores políticos compiten por fijar el sentido, el populismo se apoya en una intencionalidad estratégica de manipulación, orientada a reconfigurar el imaginario político mediante la construcción discursiva del actor social al que se refiere como el pueblo. Como se argumenta, los mecanismos semióticos de actorialización, generalización y axiologización desempeñan un rol clave en este proceso.From a sociosemiotic perspective, this paper argues that, independently of what it might be from the point of view of its genus, populism implies a challenge to the way in which the political is imagined by members of society, particularly by those that feel more marginalized and excluded from mainstream politics. If the political is conceived as a specific discursive field in which political actors struggle to ‘fixate meaning’, underlying populism there is a strategic intention of manipulation aimed at reshaping the ‘political imaginary’ by means of the discursive construction of a social actor called ‘the people’. As it is argued, the semiotic mechanisms of actorialization, generalization and axiologization play a key role in this process

Los héroes de la pandemia: la construcción discursiva del colectivo de los trabajadores sanitarios durante la crisis del COVID-19

Besides its impact in health, economics, and politics, the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed the emergence of phenomena of discursive nature, specifically regarding the solutions societies have found to make sense of the crisis caused by the uncontrolled spread of the virus. From a socio-semiotic approach, this article analyzes the collective identity construction process of the healthcare workers during the pandemic. After generally introducing semiotics as the discipline interested in meaning-making and signification, this paper studies four semiotic mechanisms that can be identified in the processes of discursive construction of collective identities. The aim is to explore how those have been developed during the pandemic in the specific case of healthcare workers. As it is shown, the case renders visible the semiotic mechanisms of segmentation, actorialization, generalization, and axiologization.Más allá de su impacto en los dominios de la salud, la economía y la política, la pandemia asociada al COVID-19 ha dado lugar a fenómenos de naturaleza discursiva, particularmente en cuanto a los modos en que las sociedades han atribuido sentido a la crisis originada por la propagación descontrolada del virus. A partir de un enfoque sociosemiótico, en este artículo se analiza el proceso de construcción de la identidad colectiva de los trabajadores sanitarios durante la pandemia. Luego de presentar de manera general a la semiótica como la disciplina interesada por el sentido y la significación, se examinan cuatro mecanismos semióticos identificables en los procesos de construcción discursiva de las identidades colectivas, con el fin de estudiar cómo estos se han manifestado durante la pandemia, en el caso específico de los trabajadores sanitarios. Como se demuestra, el caso permite visualizar de manera clara los mecanismos semióticos de segmentación, actorialización, generalización y axiologización

Sacar selfies : una práctica semiótica central del ´show del yo´

En los últimos años, la acción de sacar selfies se ha establecido como una práctica cotidiana frecuente, especialmente entre –aunque no limitada a– los jóvenes. Sacar una selfie es una práctica significante que amerita una aproximación desde la semiótica. Este artículo estudia el carácter semiótico de la práctica de sacar selfies. Concretamente, se discute su naturaleza y se presenta una posible segmentación de la práctica en unidades menores. Además, se argumenta por qué, en el escenario de exhibicionismo online extendido en el que vivimos actualmente y que la antropóloga Paula Sibilia denomina ‘show del yo’, la práctica de sacar selfies cumple una función central como modo de hacer evidente la presencia del autor ‘real’, offline, en la narrativa identitaria que se construye online. En el marco de las dinámicas de autorrepresentación online y en línea con la idea de que las identidades online son construidas de manera activa, se discute por qué las selfies deberían ser abordadas como artificios semióticos complejos y heterogéneos y, en particular, cómo contribuyen a la creación de la identidad online de sus autores.During the last couple of years, the action of taking selfies has emerged as a common everyday life practice, mainly among young people, but not limited to them. Selfie-taking is a meaningful practice that requires a semiotic analysis. In this paper I reflect on the semiotic character of selfie-taking, particularly by discussing its nature and a possible segmentation in smaller units. Moreover, I argue that in the current scenario of extended online exhibition that anthropologist Paula Sibilia calls ‘show of the self’, selfie-taking plays a key role as a way of making evident the presence of the ‘real’ off line author in the identit y narrative that is being constructed online. Within the dynamics of online self-representation and in line with the idea that online identities are actively constructed, I discuss why selfies should be regarded as heterogeneous and semiotically complex devices, and particularly how they contribute to the creation of the online identit y of its authors.Fil: Moreno Barreneche, Sebastián. Universidad ORT; Uruguay