Abstract
AbstractThe term Anthropocene first appeared in 2000 when scientists Paul Crutzen and Eugene Stoermer attempted to define the environmental effects of anthropic activities. Since then, it has become a widespread, but also controversial, term in the academic community. As environmental discourses increasingly permeate our lives, it has trespassed the borders of scholarly traditions, becoming acknowledged in popular culture. Bearing in mind the pivotal role the press has in the popularization, dissemination and consequent understanding of given topics, the aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, it assesses the popularity of the term Anthropocene in online and printed newspapers around the world. Secondly, it examines the degree of scientificity of the articles included in our analysis to understand the type of discourses journalists are relying on in discussing the Anthropocene. Exploring these questions, through a corpus-based discourse analysis, enabled us to assess the weight of the term ‘Anthropocene’ in contemporary popular debates and its future horizons. The findings highlight a lack of a consistent discussion of the Anthropocene stemming not only from a poor scientific understanding of its ecological drives, but also from the lack of political awareness and a general unpreparedness to face the socio-environmental implications of the Age of Humankind.
Highlights
While the scientific background underlying the Anthropocene is a valuable basis for our study, there is no doubt that the discourses produced by ecological scientists over the last decades have contributed to the creation of a hegemonic discourse about the Anthropocene as an exclusive domain of the hard sciences (Steffen et al 2007: 619)
As the term continues to gain momentum in both popular and academic discourse, it would be virtually impossible for the press not to draw from both the scientific mainstream narratives of the Anthropocene and from the critical reflections posed by other academic disciplines such as the environmental humanities
This research has investigated the presence of the term Anthropocene in the English language press in four different countries – Australia, India, the United Kingdom and the United States
Summary
What is the Anthropocene? In a purely scientific perspective, the Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch aimed at indicating the transformative impact of human. The Anthropocene effectively resumes the frantic bio-technological transformations that characterize our era and compels us to reflect upon our potential as a species, while exploring our limitations It invests humans with the role of alpha dogs on the planet’s food chain, celebrating their mighty skills, while at the same time generating apprehension toward ecological balances and species extinction. Academic fields, it still seems to occupy a niche in popular discourse, at least in comparison with other environmentally related terms such as climate change and the greenhouse effect (Bevitori 2010; Carvalho 2007; Dayrell 2019; Zottola et al 2019) Against this backdrop, this contribution is grounded in two main research questions.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
