This article has been subjected to double blind peer review

This article has been published in: Ocula 35, Zombesque. Sociosemiotics of a cultural epidemic

authors: Allegra Sonego (Dipartimento delle Arti, Università di Bologna, IT) and Greta Iapalucci (Dipartimento delle Arti, Università di Bologna, IT)

All of Us Are Dead. The Figure of the Zombie as a Metaphor for Social Vulnerability During Pandemics

language: english

abstract: In the media landscape, the figure of the zombie is widely pervasive, influencing films, television series, and various paratexts. Some epidemiological studies consider the zombie apocalypse as the quintessential epidemic, suggesting that this figure can offer important insights into contagion phenomena. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the zombie metaphor was used significantly, with research examining the correlation between zombie representations and the Coronavirus. This study employs textual analysis of the Korean TV series All of Us Are Dead (Netflix, 2022) to investigate the connection between the figure of the zombie and society's renewed vulnerability in the face of epidemics. The analysis shows how the series reflects social vulnerabilities during epidemics and how the zombie metaphor is used to comment on contemporary risks

citation information: Allegra Sonego and Greta Iapalucci, All of Us Are Dead. The Figure of the Zombie as a Metaphor for Social Vulnerability During Pandemics, "Ocula", vol.26, n.35, pp.181-197, September 2025. DOI: 10.57576/ocula2025-39

Ocula.it publishes articles and essays in semiotic research, with a particular eye on communication and culture; it is open to dialogue with other research fields and welcomes contributions from all the areas of the social and human sciences. See the Editorial Board and the Editorial Committee.