Cultivation of sustainability in a discourse of change
- 5 October 2023
- journal article
- research article
- Published by John Benjamins Publishing Company in Journal of Language and Politics
- Vol. 22 (5) , 577-600
Abstract
Sustainability has been well used (and abused) as “buzz-word”, label or language token for certain behavior and action in political, organizational and increasingly in individual communication. Based on critical approaches in language, discourse and communication studies, the paper explores potential processes of normalization of sustainability as a new norm, discusses new theories and methodological variations that can be applied to better understand sustainable development, and offers a theoretical concept for cultivation of sustainability as a dialectic process of questioning and stabilization in transformation and change processes. Complemented by a communication for development and social change perspective, the paper lays the theoretical foundation for an understanding of sustainability as organizing principle in socio-ecological change processes, which is further elaborated in the contributions of this Special Issue, which are introduced at the end.Keywords
This publication has 67 references indexed in Scilit:
- Communication Regarding Sustainability: Conceptual Perspectives and Exploration of Societal SubsystemsSustainability, 2013
- Social and Cultural Sustainability: Criteria, Indicators, Verifier Variables for Measurement and Maps for Visualization to Support PlanningAMBIO, 2013
- Interdisciplinarity in Sustainability Studies: A ReviewSustainable Development, 2012
- Strategies of legitimization in political discourse: From words to actionsDiscourse & Society, 2011
- Re-evaluating Sustainability Assessment: Aligning the vision and the practiceEnvironmental Impact Assessment Review, 2011
- Defining Strategic CommunicationInternational Journal of Strategic Communication, 2007
- Legitimation in discourse and communicationDiscourse & Communication, 2007
- A framework for the practical application of the concepts of critical natural capital and strong sustainabilityEcological Economics, 2003
- Culture and organization: The social sustainability of induced developmentSustainable Development, 1993
- Our Common Future—Call for ActionEnvironmental Conservation, 1987