ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how concepts of “culture” were used and were related to “trust” in the public debate about COVID-19 and ethnic minorities in Norway. This is explored through an examination of the news coverage of COVID-19 and minority groups, and how these were presented in a selected sample of mainstream newspapers from the first lockdown in March 2020 to the beginning of the public vaccination program in December 2020. The point of departure is an observation of what the authors (influenced by the strong program in the sociology of science) call an asymmetrical use of “culture” in the debate; i.e., “culture” is what “others” (like ethnic minorities) have. Members of the majority were mostly held individually responsible for complying with rules for social distancing. A further observation, is that both the right wing and the liberal position implicitly concurred in the asymmetrical talk about culture, although the assessment of the role of culture in the spread of the disease varied widely. The aim is both analytical and theoretical; the chapter examines the use of “culture” in the Norwegian public debate but also rethinks the conceptual aspect of relating “culture” to COVID-19 and epidemiology.
