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Popular geopolitics: The construction of the climate change issue by South African online news media
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2021
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| _version_ | 1867613991592787968 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Ukabhai, Priyanka |
| author2 | Lambrechts, Derica |
| author_browse | Lambrechts, Derica Ukabhai, Priyanka |
| author_facet | Lambrechts, Derica Ukabhai, Priyanka |
| author_sort | Ukabhai, Priyanka |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/109813 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:55.985Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/109813 Popular geopolitics: The construction of the climate change issue by South African online news media Ukabhai, Priyanka Lambrechts, Derica Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. Digital media -- South Africa Climate change -- South Africa Climatic change -- South Africa Geopolitics -- South Africa Climatology -- South Africa Sustainable development -- South Africa Biodiversity -- South Africa Global environmental change -- South Africa Environmentalists Global warming -- South Africa Environmental impact analysis -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2021. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In 2020 the reality of climate change has become glaringly evident, with increasingly frequent and intense impacts being felt all around the world. The issue of climate change is now, more than ever, not only the concern of the scientific community but also of international leaders, politicians, policymakers and the wider public. Still, climate change is a particularly complex issue that cannot be understood in its entirety by the lay man. As noted by Mike Hulme, because ‘climate’ cannot be experienced directly, our understanding of climate change reality is constructed (Hulme, 2009: 43).This reality is constructed by various actors through discourses, frames and narratives. Literature in the field of geopolitics, specifically popular geopolitics, shows that the way in which issues of concern are constructed by ‘popular sources’ such as online news mediaplay an important role in affecting high politics by producing a ‘common sense’ understanding of the issue at hand. This, in turn, manufactures consent for actions by geopolitical actors and policymakers. With the above in mind, this study investigated the construction of the climate change issue in South African online news media. Making use of framing theory, this study determined how the climate change issue was constructed by South African online news media during December 2019, the month of the COP25 conference. Guided by the work of O’Neill et al. (2015) and supplemented by Dryzek (2013),the researcher qualitatively coded a sample of online news articles from the top 3 South African online news websites to determine the presence or absence of an economic and disaster frame.These two frames were chosen as they fit neatly with several environmental discourses, thus enabling the researcher to situate the findings within the literature on environmental geopolitics. Overall, this study found that South African online news media have constructed climate change as an issue that warrants fear and concern, whilst placing‘business-as-usual,’ reformist solutions at the forefront of their discussions. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In 2020 het die realiteit van klimaatsverandering duidelik geword en die toenemende ernstige gevolge daarvan word wêreldwyd waargeneem. Die kwessie van klimaatsverandering is nou, meer as ooit te vore, nie net ‘n saak van kommer vir die wetenskaplike gemeenskap nie, maar ook internasionale leiers, politici, beleidmakers en die breë publiek. Klimaatsverandering is by uitstek ‘n ingewikkelde saak wat ‘n oningewyde mens nie maklik ten volle kan verstaan nie. Soos opgemerk deur Mike Hulme, omdat 'klimaat' nie direk ervaar kan word nie, word ons begrip van klimaatsveranderingsrealiteit gekonstrueer (Hulme, 2009: 43). Hierdie realiteit word deur verskillende akteurs saamgestel deur middel van diskoerse, raamwerke en vertellings. Literatuur op die gebied van geopolitiek, en meer spesifiek gewilde geopolitiek, wys dat die manier waarop hierdie kwessies deur 'gewilde bronne', soos aanlyn-nuusmedia, saamgestel word 'n belangrike rol speel om hoë politiek te beïnvloed deur 'n 'gesonde verstand'-begrip van die toonaangewende kwessie te skep. Dit gee gevolglik verdere toestemming en motivering vir geopolitieke akteurs en beleidmakers om aksie te neem. Met die bogenoemde idees in gedagte, het hierdie studie die konstruksie van die klimaatveranderingskwessie in die Suid-Afrikaanse aanlyn-nuusmedia ondersoek. Deur gebruik te maak van raamwerkteorie, het hierdie studie bepaal hoe die kwessie van klimaatsverandering gedurende Desember 2019, die maand van die COP25-konferensie, deur Suid-Afrikaanse aanlyn-nuusmedia saamgestel is. Begelei deur navorsing van O'Neill, et al. (2015) en aangevul deur Dryzek (2013), het die navorser 'n steekproef aanlyn nuusartikels van die top 3 Suid-Afrikaanse aanlynnuuswebtuistes kwalitatief gekodeer om die aanwesigheid of afwesigheid van ‘n ekonomiese en/of ramp raamwerk te bepaal. Hierdie rame is gekies omdat dit van toepassing is op verskeie omgewings diskoerse, wat die navorser toelaat om die bevindinge binne die konteks van die literatuur oor omgewingsopolitiek te plaas. Hierdie studie het algeheel bevind dat die Suid-Afrikaanse aanlyn nuusmedia klimaatsverandering gekonstrueer het as 'n kwessie wat vrees en bekommernis regverdig, terwyl ‘n 'besigheid-soos-gewoonlik' gesindheid aan die voorpunt van besprekings oor hervormingsoplossings geplaas word. Masters 2021-02-01T17:59:12Z 2021-04-21T14:27:16Z 2021-02-01T17:59:12Z 2021-04-21T14:27:16Z 2021-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/109813 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 150 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Digital media -- South Africa Climate change -- South Africa Climatic change -- South Africa Geopolitics -- South Africa Climatology -- South Africa Sustainable development -- South Africa Biodiversity -- South Africa Global environmental change -- South Africa Environmentalists Global warming -- South Africa Environmental impact analysis -- South Africa UCTD Ukabhai, Priyanka Popular geopolitics: The construction of the climate change issue by South African online news media |
| title | Popular geopolitics: The construction of the climate change issue by South African online news media |
| title_full | Popular geopolitics: The construction of the climate change issue by South African online news media |
| title_fullStr | Popular geopolitics: The construction of the climate change issue by South African online news media |
| title_full_unstemmed | Popular geopolitics: The construction of the climate change issue by South African online news media |
| title_short | Popular geopolitics: The construction of the climate change issue by South African online news media |
| title_sort | popular geopolitics the construction of the climate change issue by south african online news media |
| topic | Digital media -- South Africa Climate change -- South Africa Climatic change -- South Africa Geopolitics -- South Africa Climatology -- South Africa Sustainable development -- South Africa Biodiversity -- South Africa Global environmental change -- South Africa Environmentalists Global warming -- South Africa Environmental impact analysis -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/109813 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ukabhaipriyanka populargeopoliticstheconstructionoftheclimatechangeissuebysouthafricanonlinenewsmedia |