Canada in Situ: Tar Sands Discourse and National Place-Making in the Globe and Mail
The extraction and transportation of bitumen from northeastern Alberta's oil deposits, known as the tar sands, is a contentious topic in Canada and around the world. Frequently portrayed in Canadian news media, the project is both lauded as a major contributor to the Canadian economy and deride...
Other Authors: | , , , , , , |
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Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
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Florida State University
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Online Access: | http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_2016SP_Davine_fsu_0071N_13134 http://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fsu%3A360339/datastream/TN/view/Canada%20in%20Situ.jpg |
Summary: | The extraction and transportation of bitumen from northeastern Alberta's oil deposits, known as the tar sands, is a contentious topic in Canada and around the world. Frequently portrayed in Canadian news media, the project is both lauded as a major contributor to the Canadian economy and derided for its degradation of the environment and infringement on First Nations territory and way of life. Understanding that places are ever-changing configurations shaped by multi-scalar processes and opposing visions, this thesis examines how the discourse of the tar sands in the news contributes to national place-making in Canada. Using content analysis, I consulted fifty randomly selected articles from one of Canada's top daily newspapers, The Globe and Mail, to understand how the project is discussed nationally. I use relational place theory to parameterize the competing frames used to define Canada as a place. Postcolonial theory is used to further unpack the epistemological legacies and discursive practices through which place is constituted. I found that more nationalist framings of Canada promoted by the government and industry—Canada as democratic/responsible and Canada as modern—featured most prominently in the sample; however, counter-frames that question Canada's inherent benevolent and responsible nature offer a small, yet strong opposition to these hegemonic national myths. Therefore, the tar sands represent more than a debate over resource development, but a debate over the nature of the country itself. A Thesis submitted to the Department of Geography in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Spring Semester 2016. March 18, 2016. Canada, content analysis, nation-state, place-making, postcolonialism, tar sands Includes bibliographical references. Mary Lawhon, Professor Directing Thesis; Joseph Pierce, Committee Member; Kristin Dowell, Committee Member. |
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