Beyond narrative: modelling metaphor in environmental discourse

This project aims to bring together ideas from a wide range of disciplines with the objective of exploring the use of metaphor in environmental discourses. It looks beyond the narrative form of story-lines to construct models of discourses by representing processes as spatial arrangements of content. The subject to be explored is the competing discourses of economic growth and sustainability, an area which continues to generate much debate but little change in economic policy. The current dichotomy of views representing the pursuit of growth as somewhere between essential to social stability and the root of all evil has prevented a move towards consensus in the debate. This study aims to explore the ways in which an analysis of metaphor within the discourse could open up possible conduits towards the goals of sustainability.