Disclosing National Identity Within National Debate: The Study of Social and Political Ideologies in Canadian Climate Change Rhetoric

Date
2013-10-02
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Abstract
This thesis examines the ideological rhetoric of Canadian climate change discourse to understand how such communication may be influencing certain perspectives towards Canadian identity and affecting the Canadian government’s policy approaches to climate change. An ideological rhetorical critique is applied to the rhetoric of the NRTEE, Greenpeace, and the Friends of Science to determine the ideologies and identities being rhetorically articulated within these pivotal perspectives of Canada’s climate change discourse. This thesis also identifies ideological similarities between each of the three organizations’ climate change rhetoric, and discloses the similarities between their rhetorical constructions of Canadian identity. The finding of shared ideologies and versions of Canadian identity demonstrates how ideological rhetorical analysis can function to create solidarity even amongst the most polemical of parties. The methods and findings of this thesis also function to exemplify the initial means through which a representative and inclusive Canadian climate policy could be derived.
Description
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Rhetoric and Composition
Citation
Kingdon, J. (2013). Disclosing National Identity Within National Debate: The Study of Social and Political Ideologies in Canadian Climate Change Rhetoric (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25716