Climate Change and Storytelling: Narratives and Cultural Meaning in Environmental Communication

Description

Climate change is as much a cultural phenomenon as it is a natural one. This book is about those cultural patterns that surround our perception of the environmental crisis and which are embodied in the narratives told by climate change advocates. It investigates the themes and motifs in those narratives through the use of narrative theory and cultural sociology. Developing a framework for cultural narrative analysis, Climate Change and Storytelling draws on qualitative interviews with stakeholders, activists and politicians in the USA and Germany to identify motifs and the relationships between heroes, villains and victims, as told by the messengers of the narrative. This book will provide academics and practitioners with insights into the structure of climate change communication among climate advocates and the cultural fabric that informs it. Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Introduction: Why Narratives Matter in Climate Change Communication (Annika Arnold)....Pages 1-6 Climate Change Communication Studies: Inquiries into Beliefs, Information and Stories (Annika Arnold)....Pages 7-55 How to Understand the Role of Narratives in Environmental Communication: Cultural Narrative Analysis (Annika Arnold)....Pages 57-81 Telling the Stories of Climate Change: Structure and Content (Annika Arnold)....Pages 83-122 Conclusions: Pitfalls and the Power of Narratives (Annika Arnold)....Pages 123-133 Back Matter ....Pages 135-136