Framing nature: discourses past and present of nature and the environment: A sustainability perspective
23-24 November 2023, Università degli Studi di Milano, Department of Languages, literatures, cultures and mediations, Piazza Indro Montanelli 1, Sesto San Giovanni, Metropolitan City of Milan, Italy
Among the problems troubling the 21st century, particularly salient are those concerning the environment. In what is commonly referred to as the Age of the Anthropocene, the relationship between human beings and the natural world is at the heart not only of extensively debated problems such as climate change and the depletion of natural resources, (micro-)plastic pollution and the consequences of nuclear disasters, but also of issues such as the management of the global economy and the likelihood of the emergence of novel diseases, of which Covid-19 is only the latest. The very concept of environmental sustainability – quite possibly one of the defining concepts of 21st century policy thinking – revolves around this relationship, and it is on the way we understand it that our approaches to addressing environmental issues depend.
This understanding is shaped by a broad array of beliefs, assumptions and convictions which vary, evolve, stratify and cross-fertilize across times and cultures, all of which come to bear – at least potentially – on contemporary environmental discourse. Indeed, the plethora of issues which fall within such discourse make for a complex scenario riddled with tensions, many of which originate from the different ways in which environmental problems are “framed,” i.e. how specific aspects of such problems are selected and given salience in discourse so as “to promote a particular problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and/or treatment recommendation for the item described” (Entman 1993: 52). The multiple framings that can be identified differ in terms of values, priorities, perspectives and predictions – and therefore, following Entman, the remedies they suggest and the recommendations they put forth to avoid what is increasingly recognised as impending disaster.
Identifying and analysing the frames deployed in environmental discourse, as well as their historical, cultural and philosophical roots, is therefore crucial not only to understand underlying assumptions about the relationship between human beings and the environment, but also to explore the way in which the need for behavioural change (or lack thereof) both on a collective and an individual level can be convincingly argued. Moreover, since framing is a decisive step in the construction of arguments which affect the outcome of a debate (van Eemeren and Houtlosser 1999), it is all the more essential to analyse its role in a form of discourse which is inevitably mobilised in the service of action (or inaction).
This call for papers invites contributions on the above-mentioned topics. We are seeking research papers, case studies, and theoretical contributions that address the framings and understandings of nature and the environment across time, space, media and discourses.
Potential topics for submission may include, but are not limited to:
Framing (of) nature across time and space
Cultural differences in framing environmental problems
The role of media in shaping environmental discourse
Framing climate change
The politics of framing
The framing of sustainability
Framing environmental activism
The ethics of framing with respect to nature and the environment
The role of science and ideology in environmental discourse
The future of environmental discourse
We welcome submissions (max 300 words plus five references) from scholars and researchers in the fields of linguistics, translation, and interpreting, discourse analysis, argumentation theory, rhetoric and related disciplines, as well as from other associated fields. Interdisciplinary perspectives are especially welcome. As part of the Clavier event series, the conference will feature a special strand on corpus linguistics approaches.
Proposals can be submitted for individual papers (20 minutes + 10 minutes for discussion), posters and panels. Proposals for panels for up to 5 papers (for a 2-hour session) should include a short description of the panel (150 words max) and the titles of the individual papers included in the panel. Panel organizers should pre-select panel contributions. Panels featuring more than five participants may be arranged upon request subject to space and time availability. Panel participants should also submit their proposals individually, following the Submission Guidelines and clearly indicating the title of the panel they will be presenting on. The language of the conference is English.
Submission Guidelines:
Proposals should be clearly structured, with theoretical contributions highlighting the innovative aspects of the proposed models, and analyses clearly outlining aim, materials, methodological approach and expected results. Please use the APA citation style for your references.
All submissions should be made electronically via email to the conference email-address (Clavier2023@unimi.it), along with a cover letter indicating the author’s name, affiliation, contact information and title of contribution.
In their (anonymous) submissions, authors should clearly indicate minimum 3 and maximum 5 keywords, and they should specify their preference for paper delivery or poster presentation. The latter may be especially suited to early-career researchers or to presentations of work-in-progress.
Confirmed plenary speakers:
Jonathan Charteris-Black, UWE Bristol
Giuliana Garzone, Univeristà IULM
Martin Reisigl, Universität Wien
Arran Stibbe, University of Gloucestershire
Conference Chair: Paola Catenaccio
Organising committee: Lucia Berti, Jekaterina Nikitina, Letizia Paglialunga, Massimo Sturiale
Scientific Committee
Cinzia Bevitori, Università di Bologna
Marina Bondi, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Nicholas Brownlees, Università degli Studi di Firenze
Gloria Cappelli, Università degli Studi di Pisa
Jonathan Charteris-Black, UWE Bristol
Belinda Crawford, Università della Calabria
Chiara Degano, Università di Roma 3
Marina Dossena, Università degli Studi di Bergamo
Roberta Facchinetti, Università degli Studi di Verona
Daniele Franceschi, Università degli Studi di Roma 3
Giuliana Garzone, Università IULM
Kim Grego, Università degli Studi di Milano
Stefania Maci, Università degli Studi di Bergamo
Giovanna Mapelli, Università degli Studi di Milano
Denise Milizia, Università degli Studi di Bari
Renzo Mocini, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”
Bettina Mottura, Università degli Studi di Milano
Maria Cristina Paganoni, Università degli Studi di Milano
Giuseppe Palumbo, Università degli Studi di Trieste
Martin Reisigl, Universität Wien
Katherine Elizabeth Russo, Università di Napoli “L’Orientale”
Arran Stibbe, University of Gloucestershire
Important Dates:
Submission Deadline: May 15th, 2023
Notification of Acceptance: June 15th, 2023
Registration open: July 1st, 2023
Conference dates: November 23rd-24th, 2023
Further information
The conference will take place in the Sesto San Giovanni campus of Università degli Studi di Milano. The campus is located in the northern part of the city within easy reach of the city centre. Further information will be provided on the conference website (https://clavier2023.unimi.it ).
References
Entman, R. M. 1993. Framing: Toward Clarification of a Fractured Paradigm. J. Commun. 43(4):51–58.
Sharachchandra Lele, Brondizio, Eduardo S., Byrne, John, Mace, Georgina M., and Martinez-Alier, Joan 2018. Framing the Environment, in Sharachchandra Lele et al. 2018. Rethinking Environmentalism: Linking Justice, Sustainability, and Diversity, Strüngmann Forum Reports, vol. 23, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 1-19.
Van Eemeren, Frans and Houtlosser, Peter. 1999. Strategic Manoeuvring in Argumentative Discourse. Discourse Studies, 1(4):479–49