‘Following the science’. Science* as a sociopolitical keyword during the pandemic

During the pandemic, the meaning of the term ‘science’ became the site of a more or less explicit struggle, as experts and politicians engaged in a debate to determine what it rightfully encompasses. Doing so, they (de)legitimized realities and hierarchized them as holding a greater or lower political relevance for the crisis decision-making process. In this respect, ‘science’ may be considered to have functioned as a sociopolitical keyword. This paper examines the meaning and argumentative functions of the use of ‘science’ by Dutch- and French-speaking Belgian politicians and experts on Twitter (Jan. 2020 – Dec. 2021). Using a combination of corpus-assisted methods and qualitative data analysis, the study identifies three primary meanings for the term: ‘science’ as a status, as a product of scientific endeavor, and as embodying specific qualities such as neutrality and rationality. Additionally, the analysis reveals eleven distinct argumentative patterns through which ‘science’ was used to legitimize, delegitimize, or question various policy decisions and actors. The findings underscore how the semantic struggle deriving from the polysemic nature of ‘science’ was used to defend distinct argumentative purposes in the public debate during the pandemic.