Deep-sea Mining: Understanding the contemporary discourse
Hokkala, Nina (2023)
2023
Politiikan tutkimuksen kandidaattiohjelma - Bachelor's Programme in Politics
Johtamisen ja talouden tiedekunta - Faculty of Management and Business
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2023-04-17
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202304123645
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202304123645
Tiivistelmä
This thesis set out to analyze the contemporary discourse around an emerging industry of deep-sea mining. Deep-sea mining could be part of the solution to phase out fossil fuels, but there is a debate about whether this is worth compromising the unknown ecosystems of the seafloor. In order to make sense of the discourses, this thesis draws on theoretical guidelines from the notion of world societies, developed by the English School of thought.
The aim of this thesis is to identify the emerging discourses from two distinct areas, the West, and the Pacific Island nations. By placing the two areas of interest within the theoretical framework of sub-global world societies, the purpose is to identify the similarities and differences between these areas and understand the distinct aspects through the theoretical lens. The research question is how these two world societies see deep-sea mining, and how the English School can explain the differences and similarities of perspective between these two areas.
The research material consists of 55 news articles from June 2021 to February 2023. The articles have been extracted from a total of nine different news outlets representing the West and Pacific Island nations. In June 2021 Nauru triggered a two-year deadline for creating the regulations for deep-sea mining. If the UN-affiliated regulatory entity, International Seabed Authority, does not manage to produce the regulations by June 2023, the mining of the seabed can take place without any regulations.
With critical discourse analysis, this thesis identifies four distinct discourses in the news articles. The overall tone of discourse is mostly a critique of deep-sea mining. The found discourses are mostly interlinked and shared between the areas, but there are differences in what is emphasized. The underlying normative base and the historical development of the regional world societies can explain these differences.
The aim of this thesis is to identify the emerging discourses from two distinct areas, the West, and the Pacific Island nations. By placing the two areas of interest within the theoretical framework of sub-global world societies, the purpose is to identify the similarities and differences between these areas and understand the distinct aspects through the theoretical lens. The research question is how these two world societies see deep-sea mining, and how the English School can explain the differences and similarities of perspective between these two areas.
The research material consists of 55 news articles from June 2021 to February 2023. The articles have been extracted from a total of nine different news outlets representing the West and Pacific Island nations. In June 2021 Nauru triggered a two-year deadline for creating the regulations for deep-sea mining. If the UN-affiliated regulatory entity, International Seabed Authority, does not manage to produce the regulations by June 2023, the mining of the seabed can take place without any regulations.
With critical discourse analysis, this thesis identifies four distinct discourses in the news articles. The overall tone of discourse is mostly a critique of deep-sea mining. The found discourses are mostly interlinked and shared between the areas, but there are differences in what is emphasized. The underlying normative base and the historical development of the regional world societies can explain these differences.
Kokoelmat
- Kandidaatintutkielmat [8315]