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In the Name of the Practical: Unearthing the Hegemony of Pragmatics in the Discourse of Environmental Management*
Author(s) -
Prasad Pushkala,
Elmes Michael
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of management studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.398
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1467-6486
pISSN - 0022-2380
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6486.2005.00521.x
Subject(s) - pragmatics , sociology , context (archaeology) , legitimacy , environmental communication , compromise , hegemony , relevance (law) , discourse ethics , rationality , epistemology , field (mathematics) , discourse analysis , environmental ethics , linguistics , social science , political science , law , philosophy , history , politics , mathematics , archaeology , pure mathematics
A prominent feature of the rapidly growing field of Environmental Management (EM) is its strong emphasis on pragmatic considerations. Much of EM's legitimacy stems from its own identity as having practical relevance in resolving contemporary environmental problems. With the help of Critical Discourse Analysis, our paper engages closely with the language of practicality in Environmental Management. We show how the message of practicality emerged through three core messages in the discourse, viz. economic utilitarianism, compromise and inter‐organizational collaboration. We further contend that in the actual material context of the complex biospheric environment, these messages may have less than pragmatic implications. We conclude with a discussion of ecological rationality in redefining the discourse of pragmatics in Environmental Management.