Canada in Situ: Tar Sands Discourse and National Place-Making in the Globe and Mail

• Other Authors: Davine, Toby (authoraut), Lawhon, Mary (professor directing thesis), Pierce, Joseph (committee member), Dowell, Kristin L. (committee member), Florida State University (degree granting institution), College of Social Sciences and Public Policy (degree granting college), Department of Geography (degree granting department)
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Tallahassee, Florida: Florida State University 2016
• Subjects: Geography; Canada; First Nations
• Online Access: https://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu%3A360339/datastream/TN/view/Canada%20in%20Situ.jpg

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. Submitted Note: A Thesis submitted to the Department of Geography in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Degree Awarded: Spring Semester 2016. Date of Defense: March 18, 2016. Keywords: Canada, content analysis, nation-state, place-making, postcolonialism, tar sands Bibliography Note: Includes bibliographical references. Advisory Committee: Mary Lawhon, Professor Directing Thesis; Joseph Pierce, Committee Member; Kristin Dowell, Committee Member.