Abstract

This article discusses the tendency within environmental communication to homogenise diverse situations. Utilising the case of whale conservation it describes how actors on both sides of the whaling debate utilise the 'super-whale' - a homogenised discursive construct. The article argues that there are pragmatic advantages to such framing of environmental situations but also costs. In the case of whale conservation, the super-whale maintains focus on whaling rather than other, arguably more pressing, threats to whale species. More generally, utilising such framing tactics arguably prevent the voicing of new narratives about the global social order.

Keywords

Whaling; Whales; Framing; Supermantra; Environmental communication

Published in

Marine Policy
2019, Volume: 99, pages: 170-172

SLU Authors

• Singleton, Benedict

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

SLU Swedish Biodiversity Centre


UKÄ Subject classification

Media Studies
Social Anthropology
Sociology (excluding Social work, Social Psychology and Social Anthropology)


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.10.018

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/96885