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Power and Changing Riverscapes: The Socioecological Fix and Newspaper Discourse Concerning the Rhône River (France) Since 1945
Abstract : Riverscapes are constructs that mix natural components with political, socioeconomic, and technical
strategies. This article shows how the riverscapes of the Rh^one in France have changed under the influence
of different power relations. We use newspapers to highlight the potential of news outlets as a data source
with which to apply Foucault’s critical and genealogical methods and to develop a political ecology of
socioecological fixes. Media coverage is proxied by a content analysis and textual data analysis of 1,079
articles published in Le Monde from 1945 to 2013. We study variations of newspaper discourse to create five
chronological narratives: (1) the reconstruction of France and the creation of new landscapes, (2) the
promotion of national development through navigation, (3) the quest for energy independence through
dams and nuclear power plants, (4) the abandonment of major projects, and (5) the definition of pollution
and flooding as national problems at the same time as the rediscovery of landscapes as local amenities. River
landscapes are related to national political objectives, even though schemes for the Rh^one seem to be ever
less geared to national ambitions. In specific contexts, bottom-up advocacy coalitions occasionally prove
powerful enough to influence socioecological trajectories: Their power seems to be on the rise as the
national project wanes. They are often opposed to new socioecological fixes. Although political drivers are
instrumental in shaping the Rh^one, economic dynamics are crucial. Energy production seems to be a good
indicator for monitoring socioecological fixes along major rivers because it involves fixed capital.
https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-02125902
Contributor : Emeline Comby <>
Submitted on : Friday, May 10, 2019 - 4:47:46 PM
Last modification on : Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - 3:46:59 AM
Contributor : Emeline Comby <>
Submitted on : Friday, May 10, 2019 - 4:47:46 PM
Last modification on : Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - 3:46:59 AM
