Topic guide for focus group discussion.

The concept of ‘resilience’ is pervasive, permeating academic disciplines and political discourses. This paper considers (i) the construal of ‘resilience’ in the contexts of food insecurity and cost-of-living in governmental discourses in the United Kingdom (UK); (ii) to what extent the political representations are reflected in research funding calls of UK national funding bodies, thus showing possibility of shaping research agendas; and (iii) to what extent official uses of ‘resilience’ reflect lay understandings. We are combining a corpus-based discourse analysis of UK governmental discourses and research funding calls with a study of focus group discussions. Representations of ‘resilience’ are further compared with those available in general English corpora. We are observing a shift in the use of ‘resilience’: from an individual psychological attribute to a primarily socioeconomic and environmental characteristic. Funding calls construe resilience in relation to communities, reflecting economy and environment adaptability, whereas governmental discourses frame references to individuals in terms of ‘vulnerability’. Focus groups reveal divergent conceptions of ‘resilience’, which may lead to potential misunderstandings. While this variety of uses may be productive in political discourses for rhetorical purposes, there is a need for specificity in shaping research and in public-facing communications.

‘韧性（resilience）’这一概念具有极强的普适性，渗透至各大学科领域与政治话语体系之中。本研究聚焦三大研究方向：其一，英国政府话语中，‘韧性’在粮食不安全与生活成本困境语境下的阐释逻辑；其二，英国国家级资助机构的科研资助公告在多大程度上映射了这类政治话语表征，以此展现其塑造科研议程的可能性；其三，官方语境中‘韧性’的使用在多大程度上契合普通民众的认知理解。本研究结合针对英国政府话语与科研资助公告的语料库话语分析，以及焦点小组访谈研究，并将‘韧性’的各类话语表征与通用英语语料库中的相关表征进行对比分析。研究发现，‘韧性’的使用语境已发生显著转变：从最初指代个体心理特质，逐渐转向以社会经济与环境特征为核心的内涵。科研资助公告将‘韧性’界定为与社群相关的概念，凸显经济与环境适应性；而政府话语则将个体语境下的‘韧性’置于‘脆弱性’的框架下进行阐释。焦点小组访谈结果显示，民众对‘韧性’的认知存在分歧，这可能引发理解偏差。尽管这类多元使用在政治话语中出于修辞目的或具备一定效用，但在塑造科研方向与面向公众的传播工作中，仍需明确界定‘韧性’的具体内涵。