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How to deal with the risk of nuclear energy? The Three Mile Island accident and the discursive struggle over nuclear energy
Boekbijdrage - Boekhoofdstuk Conferentiebijdrage
In this paper we look at the development of the discourse of resistance against
nuclear energy in the coverage of four Belgian newspapers of the major nuclear
accident at Three Mile Island (US, 1979). We used discourse-theoretical analysis
(DTA), which combines theoretical concepts of Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory with methodological guidelines from critical discourse analysis and qualitative content analysis. The accident provides a good case to study the development of the discourse of resistance, because of the increase of media attention for the nuclear energy issue, which in its turn offered ample opportunities for critical voices to get picked up by the media. At the same time the accident functioned as a dislocation of the dominant nuclear discourse. We found that the discourse of resistance was articulated around the nodal point of risk. After acknowledging the existence of risk, a discursive struggle was going on between proponents and opponents to attach
meaning to ‘risk’.
nuclear energy in the coverage of four Belgian newspapers of the major nuclear
accident at Three Mile Island (US, 1979). We used discourse-theoretical analysis
(DTA), which combines theoretical concepts of Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory with methodological guidelines from critical discourse analysis and qualitative content analysis. The accident provides a good case to study the development of the discourse of resistance, because of the increase of media attention for the nuclear energy issue, which in its turn offered ample opportunities for critical voices to get picked up by the media. At the same time the accident functioned as a dislocation of the dominant nuclear discourse. We found that the discourse of resistance was articulated around the nodal point of risk. After acknowledging the existence of risk, a discursive struggle was going on between proponents and opponents to attach
meaning to ‘risk’.
Boek: Policies and their publics: Discourses, Actors and Power
Volume: 10
Pagina's: 1-23
Aantal pagina's: 23
Jaar van publicatie:2015
Trefwoorden:nuclear energy, risk, discourse theory, energy politics, media, protest, environmentalism