Corporate Framing and Discursive Redirection: The Case of Alachua County, Florida

• In Event: 2483 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 03. Environmental Social Movements

Abstract

Research on natural resources controversies has highlighted how elite stakeholders devise strategies to deflect or counter opposition to environmental degradation in a number of ways. Yet, much of this work examines cases where state or corporate officials react to environmental campaigns and claims; comparatively little is known about how elites develop preemptive strategies when they anticipate opposition. We draw on literature on environmental conflicts, official framing, and discursive obstruction to investigate how corporations defend themselves against negative campaigns or active opposition. We examine the case of community controversy over a forestland use conversion project in North Florida. The data for this research consist of in-depth interviews, participant observation, and archival materials. We find that corporate elites engaged subtle discursive strategies to rally community support while simultaneously delegitimizing and even vilifying potential opposition to their campaigns. We conclude the paper by discussing the implications of our findings for future work on natural resource controversies, elite discursive strategies, and official framing cases.

Authors

• Anne Saville

• Alison E. Adams, University of Florida

• Thomas E. Shriver, North Carolina State University

• David Hanson, University of Florida