richard alexander | Vienna University of Economics and Business (original) (raw)
Papers by richard alexander
The relevance of 'chunks' in language use and learning has become a commonplace of ELT today. How... more The relevance of 'chunks' in language use and learning has become a commonplace of ELT today. How successful are the new or revised learners' dictionaries of English in dealing with groups of words, set phrases or fixed expressions? 90 representative items from a range of phraseological types are selected. Each dictionary is checked with respect to its coverage of the items. User-friendliness, accessibility and breadth of coverage are assessed. The paper compares and assesses the four competitors.
HERMES - Journal of Language and Communication in Business, 2017
Language Sciences, 2014
This article consists of a theoretical consideration of ecolinguistics, starting off with a worki... more This article consists of a theoretical consideration of ecolinguistics, starting off with a working definition and then using this to look at two principle trends within the emerging discipline. The two trends considered are 'the analysis of ecological discourse' and the metaphorical 'language ecology'. The conclusion is that ecolinguistics is more than just the analysis of texts which happen to be explicitly about the environment, and is more than just a metaphorical way of thinking about language contact. Instead, ecolinguistics is, primarily, the 'ecological analysis of discourse'.
Vandana Shiva, engagierte Physikerin und Umweltaktivistin aus Indien, war eine der sechs Vortrage... more Vandana Shiva, engagierte Physikerin und Umweltaktivistin aus Indien, war eine der sechs Vortragenden zum Thema 'Respekt für die Erde', der berühmten BBC-Rundfunkvorträge, "Reith Lectures", im Jahr 2000 (Shiva 2000a). In diesem Beitrag werden ausgewählte Aspekte von Shivas Arbeit anhand von linguistischen Textanalysen mit Hilfe computererstellter Konkordanzen untersucht. Shiva erörtert, wie eine nachhhaltige Lebensweise in der dritten Welt im Namen der Modernisierung und Wissenschaft zerstört wird. In ihren Vorträgen, Aufsätzen und Büchern analysiert Shiva die Metaphorik, die der sogenannten modernen Landwirtschaft zugrundeliegt. Sie belegt, wie dieser Prozess nur den westlichen Großkonzernen, die ihn vorantreiben, zugute kommt. Shivas Ansatz wird auf zwei Ebenen betrachtet. Zuerst wird eine faktische und politische Analyse darüber ersichtlich, wie ländliche Traditionen in Indien abgewertet werden und wie den Menschen zu helfen ist, sich gegen diesen Prozess zur Wehr zu setzen. Auf einer zweiten Meta-Ebene macht Shiva eine kritische Bestandsaufnahme von den Mythen, die in Zusammenhang mit neoliberalen Projekten und 'Lösungen' formuliert werden. Wie in der kritischen Diskursanalyse belegt Shiva hierbei die Rolle der Sprache. Insbesondere werden sich gegenseitig ausschließende Metaphern für WERT oder REICHTUMSSCHÖPFUNG ('Marktkonkurrenzfähigkeit und Markteffizienz' versus 'Nachhaltigkeit, Kooperation und Überleben') aufgezeigt. Es wird gezeigt, wie die von außen aufoktroyierten Weltanschauungen als Ursache der ökologischen Katastrophen, die gleichzeitig gesellschaftliche Katastrophen für Kleinbauern in Indien und anderswo werden, fungieren.
languages, 2024
Abstract: John Lovejoy coined the term biological diversity in 1980, made the first projection of... more Abstract: John Lovejoy coined the term biological diversity in 1980, made the first projection of
global extinction rates, and 43 years later we are still discussing biodiversity and extinction in an
inconsequential fashion. Extinction signs include the loss of millions of birds in the UK since 1970
and the decline in insects. Goulson summarizes in detail the scientific and biological evidence for the
many species extinctions. Although most people do not notice the declines in insects, the loss of bees
has been noted when bees’ use as pollinators began to be harnessed as a corporate and commercial
activity. This is linked to intensive agricultural practices. The lobbying power of agrochemical
companies shapes agricultural practices that directly impact the well-being of all species. Critical
ecological discourse analysis of insect decline and the issues related to it is employed, going back to
the famous speech given by Michael Halliday. Then corpus linguistic methods scrutinize material
from the website of Syngenta, an agrochemical company. We ask whether the website of such a firm
can uncover the necessary circumstances for such biodiversity. A corpus-assisted critical analysis
of Syngenta’s business report, looks at computer-generated concordances of some of the relevant
content words, like ‘crop’, ‘sustainable’, ‘soil’, ‘control’, ‘biodiversity’ and ‘water’. Hopefully, this
study will encourage researchers to provide more indications of the disappearance of so many species,
and not just birds and insects. But, to really achieve effective protection of biodiversity much more
is needed.
Keywords: ecolinguistics; biodiversity; corpus linguistics; discourse analysis; agrochemicals
Resisting imposed metaphors of value: Vandana Shiva’s role in
Journal of Sociolinguistics, 2007
is, among other things, the daughter of a hairstylist mother, whose interest in the discourse and... more is, among other things, the daughter of a hairstylist mother, whose interest in the discourse and practice of haircare among African Americans was awakened at an early age. This linguistic anthropological study is based on fieldwork she carried out in a variety of hair-related settings: salons, cosmetology classrooms, professional seminars, meetings and trade shows. There are also chapters dealing with comedy performances on the theme of hair and with a long-lasting and impassioned on-line discussion of the subject-though there is no data from the 'kitchen' of the title, which is a reference to the extensive domestic culture of non-professional haircare among African Americans. No one who has read the literature of Black America could be unaware of the significance of hair in African American culture past and present. Or perhaps that should be ' African diasporic cultures': Pecola Breedlove, the tragic protagonist of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye with her yearning for blue eyes and long, straight, silky hair has a British parallel in Irie Jones, a character in Zadie Smith's White Teeth who buys the hair of an Asian woman and has it woven into her own, but is soon brought to realize the error of her ways. Nor is hair depicted in African American fiction as exclusively a female preoccupation. But what is at issue in the stories of Pecola and Irie-hair as a highly-charged signifier of racial (in)authenticity and pride/shame-does seem to pose more acute dilemmas for women. This is presumably because hair is also such a potent symbol of female sexuality. To my mind, Jacobs-Huey rather downplays the sexual dimension of her subject, and this leaves something of a gap, since it never quite becomes clear how she theorizes the issue as one of gender as well as race (or to put it another way, why the book is about African American women). But the contested status of hair types and styles within African American communities is a central theme of her analyses of women's talk. As she demonstrates, that talk tends to oscillate between the proposition that 'hair is just hair' and the contrary proposition that 'hair is not just hair'. Although it is not the author's main concern, the conversations she reproduces (both face-to-face and on-line)-particularly those between African American participants and others-can be related to recent theoretical discussions among sociolinguists about identity and authenticity. Contemporary expert discourse
Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 2011
... languages on the fringe of Europe: with John Walsh on Irish in 'From Industrial Developm... more ... languages on the fringe of Europe: with John Walsh on Irish in 'From Industrial Development to Language Planning: The Evolution of Údarás na Gaeltachta', Daniel Cunliffe, Nich Pearson and Sarah Richards on 'E-commerce and Minority Languages: A Welsh Perspective' and ...
Applied Linguistics, 2007
Vandana Shiva, engagierte Physikerin und Umweltaktivistin aus Indien, war eine der sechs Vortrage... more Vandana Shiva, engagierte Physikerin und Umweltaktivistin aus Indien, war eine der sechs Vortragenden zum Thema 'Respekt für die Erde', der berühmten BBC-Rundfunkvorträge, "Reith Lectures", im Jahr 2000 (Shiva 2000a). In diesem Beitrag werden ausgewählte Aspekte von Shivas Arbeit anhand von linguistischen Textanalysen mit Hilfe computererstellter Konkordanzen untersucht. Shiva erörtert, wie eine nachhhaltige Lebensweise in der dritten Welt im Namen der
unknown, 2021
Keywords: pandemic, COVID, discourse, health, vaccine, government The paper claims that corona ... more Keywords: pandemic, COVID, discourse, health, vaccine, government
The paper claims that corona discourse is here to stay. The pandemic has achieved hegemony over humanity. The everyday discourse patterns that from the start were packed with medical and epidemiological terms and phrases have apparently come to stay. And epidemiology has become in no uncertain terms the new hegemony. What has happened brings to mind Gramsci’s idea of hegemony which captures and imprisons us. One section looks at how the UK government dealt with the pandemic. There are aspects that have been underplayed by the government from the start of the pandemic. One is how COVID-19 has affected certain socio-economic groups and professions differently. What the majority of the media comments on COVID-19 and the measures being taken, such as the just quoted UK politicians and experts are involved in, lack is a bigger picture. Their attention is focused on immediate problems and proximate causes. The effects of the pandemic on people’s lives are briefly analysed. The rapid vaccine production and rollout has changed the situation.
At the same time the emergence and rapid spread of new variants have demonstrated what global health experts warned all along: that none of us is safe until everyone is safe.
Subsequent sections discuss, firstly, the focus on molecular biology and the neglect of the broader eco-social frame within which such viruses develop. Secondly the failure to prepare for the current pandemic is alluded to. A significant issue concerning the role of the European Union and the pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca in the delivery of vaccines is discussed. Attempts and actions to counteract the hegemonic control are outlined.
The discussion of the situation of COVID-19 within the broader context of environmental disintegration rounds off the paper.
Drafts by richard alexander
As we all know, environmental breakdown is rooted in capitalism's quest for perpetual growth. Acc... more As we all know, environmental breakdown is rooted in capitalism's quest for perpetual growth. According to O'Connor (quoted in Büscher et al 2010/2013: 3) the "environmental crisis has given liberal capitalist society a new lease on life." He continues: "Now, through purporting to take in hand the saving of the environment, capitalism invents a new legitimation for itself: the sustainable and rational use of nature". "Those who hold the power and they are not all heads of state, see themselves as saviours of the world, and offer the population the opportunity of becoming their clients" is how John Berger has referred to such cognitive dissonance. Critical discourse analysis and corpus linguistics are employed to scrutinize a powerful corporation's website. This company produces and distributes food globally. The story it presents to the world maintains that it protects animal welfare, the environment and people, among other things, in all its operations. The language it employs on its corporate websites will be subjected to close analysis. This will then be confronted with the corporation's duplicitous role in dealing with the climate crisis and its related issues, such that it has been labelled 'the worst company in the world' by Henry Waxman, former Member of Congress and Chairman of the US NGO Mighty Earth. A reality check of what the corporation in actuality does throws light on the complete emptiness of its corporate social responsibility claims. Contents .1. The Coming of Woke Capitalism .2. A company's individual angle on woke issues .3. Cargill and sustainability .4. What does Cargill mean by 'sustainable development'? .5. Analysis of 'sustainable development' and 'sustainability' .6. Cargill's large negative impact on the natural world ENDNOTES References This article discusses how one company self-importantly claims to be safeguarding our planet and operating in a sustainable way while contributing to its destruction.
On the hegemonic power of the pandemic discourse Richard J. Alexander (Emeritus Professor at Vien... more On the hegemonic power of the pandemic discourse
Richard J. Alexander (Emeritus Professor at Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration)(2021)
Keywords: pandemic, COVID, discourse, health, vaccine, government
The paper claims that corona discourse is here to stay. The pandemic has achieved hegemony over humanity. The everyday discourse patterns that from the start were packed with medical and epidemiological terms and phrases have apparently come to stay. And epidemiology has become in no uncertain terms the new hegemony. What has happened brings to mind Gramsci’s idea of hegemony which captures and imprisons us. One section looks at how the UK government dealt with the pandemic. There are aspects that have been underplayed by the government from the start of the pandemic. One is how COVID-19 has affected certain socio-economic groups and professions differently. What the majority of the media comments on COVID-19 and the measures being taken, such as the just quoted UK politicians and experts are involved in, lack is a bigger picture. Their attention is focused on immediate problems and proximate causes. The effects of the pandemic on people’s lives are briefly analysed. The rapid vaccine production and rollout has changed the situation.
At the same time the emergence and rapid spread of new variants have demonstrated what global health experts warned all along: that none of us is safe until everyone is safe.
Subsequent sections discuss, firstly, the focus on molecular biology and the neglect of the broader eco-social frame within which such viruses develop. Secondly the failure to prepare for the current pandemic is alluded to. A significant issue concerning the role of the European Union and the pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca in the delivery of vaccines is discussed. Attempts and actions to counteract the hegemonic control are outlined.
The discussion of the situation of COVID-19 within the broader context of environmental disintegration rounds off the paper.
unknown, 2021
On the hegemonic power of the pandemic discourse Richard J. Alexander (Emeritus Professor at Vien... more On the hegemonic power of the pandemic discourse
Richard J. Alexander (Emeritus Professor at Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration)(2021)
Keywords: pandemic, COVID, discourse, health, vaccine, government
The paper claims that corona discourse is here to stay. The pandemic has achieved hegemony over humanity. The everyday discourse patterns that from the start were packed with medical and epidemiological terms and phrases have apparently come to stay. And epidemiology has become in no uncertain terms the new hegemony. What has happened brings to mind Gramsci’s idea of hegemony which captures and imprisons us. One section looks at how the UK government dealt with the pandemic. There are aspects that have been underplayed by the government from the start of the pandemic. One is how COVID-19 has affected certain socio-economic groups and professions differently. What the majority of the media comments on COVID-19 and the measures being taken, such as the just quoted UK politicians and experts are involved in, lack is a bigger picture. Their attention is focused on immediate problems and proximate causes. The effects of the pandemic on people’s lives are briefly analysed. The rapid vaccine production and rollout has changed the situation.
At the same time the emergence and rapid spread of new variants have demonstrated what global health experts warned all along: that none of us is safe until everyone is safe.
Subsequent sections discuss, firstly, the focus on molecular biology and the neglect of the broader eco-social frame within which such viruses develop. Secondly the failure to prepare for the current pandemic is alluded to. A significant issue concerning the role of the European Union and the pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca in the delivery of vaccines is discussed. Attempts and actions to counteract the hegemonic control are outlined.
The discussion of the situation of COVID-19 within the broader context of environmental disintegration rounds off the paper.
The relevance of 'chunks' in language use and learning has become a commonplace of ELT today. How... more The relevance of 'chunks' in language use and learning has become a commonplace of ELT today. How successful are the new or revised learners' dictionaries of English in dealing with groups of words, set phrases or fixed expressions? 90 representative items from a range of phraseological types are selected. Each dictionary is checked with respect to its coverage of the items. User-friendliness, accessibility and breadth of coverage are assessed. The paper compares and assesses the four competitors.
HERMES - Journal of Language and Communication in Business, 2017
Language Sciences, 2014
This article consists of a theoretical consideration of ecolinguistics, starting off with a worki... more This article consists of a theoretical consideration of ecolinguistics, starting off with a working definition and then using this to look at two principle trends within the emerging discipline. The two trends considered are 'the analysis of ecological discourse' and the metaphorical 'language ecology'. The conclusion is that ecolinguistics is more than just the analysis of texts which happen to be explicitly about the environment, and is more than just a metaphorical way of thinking about language contact. Instead, ecolinguistics is, primarily, the 'ecological analysis of discourse'.
Vandana Shiva, engagierte Physikerin und Umweltaktivistin aus Indien, war eine der sechs Vortrage... more Vandana Shiva, engagierte Physikerin und Umweltaktivistin aus Indien, war eine der sechs Vortragenden zum Thema 'Respekt für die Erde', der berühmten BBC-Rundfunkvorträge, "Reith Lectures", im Jahr 2000 (Shiva 2000a). In diesem Beitrag werden ausgewählte Aspekte von Shivas Arbeit anhand von linguistischen Textanalysen mit Hilfe computererstellter Konkordanzen untersucht. Shiva erörtert, wie eine nachhhaltige Lebensweise in der dritten Welt im Namen der Modernisierung und Wissenschaft zerstört wird. In ihren Vorträgen, Aufsätzen und Büchern analysiert Shiva die Metaphorik, die der sogenannten modernen Landwirtschaft zugrundeliegt. Sie belegt, wie dieser Prozess nur den westlichen Großkonzernen, die ihn vorantreiben, zugute kommt. Shivas Ansatz wird auf zwei Ebenen betrachtet. Zuerst wird eine faktische und politische Analyse darüber ersichtlich, wie ländliche Traditionen in Indien abgewertet werden und wie den Menschen zu helfen ist, sich gegen diesen Prozess zur Wehr zu setzen. Auf einer zweiten Meta-Ebene macht Shiva eine kritische Bestandsaufnahme von den Mythen, die in Zusammenhang mit neoliberalen Projekten und 'Lösungen' formuliert werden. Wie in der kritischen Diskursanalyse belegt Shiva hierbei die Rolle der Sprache. Insbesondere werden sich gegenseitig ausschließende Metaphern für WERT oder REICHTUMSSCHÖPFUNG ('Marktkonkurrenzfähigkeit und Markteffizienz' versus 'Nachhaltigkeit, Kooperation und Überleben') aufgezeigt. Es wird gezeigt, wie die von außen aufoktroyierten Weltanschauungen als Ursache der ökologischen Katastrophen, die gleichzeitig gesellschaftliche Katastrophen für Kleinbauern in Indien und anderswo werden, fungieren.
languages, 2024
Abstract: John Lovejoy coined the term biological diversity in 1980, made the first projection of... more Abstract: John Lovejoy coined the term biological diversity in 1980, made the first projection of
global extinction rates, and 43 years later we are still discussing biodiversity and extinction in an
inconsequential fashion. Extinction signs include the loss of millions of birds in the UK since 1970
and the decline in insects. Goulson summarizes in detail the scientific and biological evidence for the
many species extinctions. Although most people do not notice the declines in insects, the loss of bees
has been noted when bees’ use as pollinators began to be harnessed as a corporate and commercial
activity. This is linked to intensive agricultural practices. The lobbying power of agrochemical
companies shapes agricultural practices that directly impact the well-being of all species. Critical
ecological discourse analysis of insect decline and the issues related to it is employed, going back to
the famous speech given by Michael Halliday. Then corpus linguistic methods scrutinize material
from the website of Syngenta, an agrochemical company. We ask whether the website of such a firm
can uncover the necessary circumstances for such biodiversity. A corpus-assisted critical analysis
of Syngenta’s business report, looks at computer-generated concordances of some of the relevant
content words, like ‘crop’, ‘sustainable’, ‘soil’, ‘control’, ‘biodiversity’ and ‘water’. Hopefully, this
study will encourage researchers to provide more indications of the disappearance of so many species,
and not just birds and insects. But, to really achieve effective protection of biodiversity much more
is needed.
Keywords: ecolinguistics; biodiversity; corpus linguistics; discourse analysis; agrochemicals
Resisting imposed metaphors of value: Vandana Shiva’s role in
Journal of Sociolinguistics, 2007
is, among other things, the daughter of a hairstylist mother, whose interest in the discourse and... more is, among other things, the daughter of a hairstylist mother, whose interest in the discourse and practice of haircare among African Americans was awakened at an early age. This linguistic anthropological study is based on fieldwork she carried out in a variety of hair-related settings: salons, cosmetology classrooms, professional seminars, meetings and trade shows. There are also chapters dealing with comedy performances on the theme of hair and with a long-lasting and impassioned on-line discussion of the subject-though there is no data from the 'kitchen' of the title, which is a reference to the extensive domestic culture of non-professional haircare among African Americans. No one who has read the literature of Black America could be unaware of the significance of hair in African American culture past and present. Or perhaps that should be ' African diasporic cultures': Pecola Breedlove, the tragic protagonist of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye with her yearning for blue eyes and long, straight, silky hair has a British parallel in Irie Jones, a character in Zadie Smith's White Teeth who buys the hair of an Asian woman and has it woven into her own, but is soon brought to realize the error of her ways. Nor is hair depicted in African American fiction as exclusively a female preoccupation. But what is at issue in the stories of Pecola and Irie-hair as a highly-charged signifier of racial (in)authenticity and pride/shame-does seem to pose more acute dilemmas for women. This is presumably because hair is also such a potent symbol of female sexuality. To my mind, Jacobs-Huey rather downplays the sexual dimension of her subject, and this leaves something of a gap, since it never quite becomes clear how she theorizes the issue as one of gender as well as race (or to put it another way, why the book is about African American women). But the contested status of hair types and styles within African American communities is a central theme of her analyses of women's talk. As she demonstrates, that talk tends to oscillate between the proposition that 'hair is just hair' and the contrary proposition that 'hair is not just hair'. Although it is not the author's main concern, the conversations she reproduces (both face-to-face and on-line)-particularly those between African American participants and others-can be related to recent theoretical discussions among sociolinguists about identity and authenticity. Contemporary expert discourse
Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 2011
... languages on the fringe of Europe: with John Walsh on Irish in 'From Industrial Developm... more ... languages on the fringe of Europe: with John Walsh on Irish in 'From Industrial Development to Language Planning: The Evolution of Údarás na Gaeltachta', Daniel Cunliffe, Nich Pearson and Sarah Richards on 'E-commerce and Minority Languages: A Welsh Perspective' and ...
Applied Linguistics, 2007
Vandana Shiva, engagierte Physikerin und Umweltaktivistin aus Indien, war eine der sechs Vortrage... more Vandana Shiva, engagierte Physikerin und Umweltaktivistin aus Indien, war eine der sechs Vortragenden zum Thema 'Respekt für die Erde', der berühmten BBC-Rundfunkvorträge, "Reith Lectures", im Jahr 2000 (Shiva 2000a). In diesem Beitrag werden ausgewählte Aspekte von Shivas Arbeit anhand von linguistischen Textanalysen mit Hilfe computererstellter Konkordanzen untersucht. Shiva erörtert, wie eine nachhhaltige Lebensweise in der dritten Welt im Namen der
unknown, 2021
Keywords: pandemic, COVID, discourse, health, vaccine, government The paper claims that corona ... more Keywords: pandemic, COVID, discourse, health, vaccine, government
The paper claims that corona discourse is here to stay. The pandemic has achieved hegemony over humanity. The everyday discourse patterns that from the start were packed with medical and epidemiological terms and phrases have apparently come to stay. And epidemiology has become in no uncertain terms the new hegemony. What has happened brings to mind Gramsci’s idea of hegemony which captures and imprisons us. One section looks at how the UK government dealt with the pandemic. There are aspects that have been underplayed by the government from the start of the pandemic. One is how COVID-19 has affected certain socio-economic groups and professions differently. What the majority of the media comments on COVID-19 and the measures being taken, such as the just quoted UK politicians and experts are involved in, lack is a bigger picture. Their attention is focused on immediate problems and proximate causes. The effects of the pandemic on people’s lives are briefly analysed. The rapid vaccine production and rollout has changed the situation.
At the same time the emergence and rapid spread of new variants have demonstrated what global health experts warned all along: that none of us is safe until everyone is safe.
Subsequent sections discuss, firstly, the focus on molecular biology and the neglect of the broader eco-social frame within which such viruses develop. Secondly the failure to prepare for the current pandemic is alluded to. A significant issue concerning the role of the European Union and the pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca in the delivery of vaccines is discussed. Attempts and actions to counteract the hegemonic control are outlined.
The discussion of the situation of COVID-19 within the broader context of environmental disintegration rounds off the paper.
As we all know, environmental breakdown is rooted in capitalism's quest for perpetual growth. Acc... more As we all know, environmental breakdown is rooted in capitalism's quest for perpetual growth. According to O'Connor (quoted in Büscher et al 2010/2013: 3) the "environmental crisis has given liberal capitalist society a new lease on life." He continues: "Now, through purporting to take in hand the saving of the environment, capitalism invents a new legitimation for itself: the sustainable and rational use of nature". "Those who hold the power and they are not all heads of state, see themselves as saviours of the world, and offer the population the opportunity of becoming their clients" is how John Berger has referred to such cognitive dissonance. Critical discourse analysis and corpus linguistics are employed to scrutinize a powerful corporation's website. This company produces and distributes food globally. The story it presents to the world maintains that it protects animal welfare, the environment and people, among other things, in all its operations. The language it employs on its corporate websites will be subjected to close analysis. This will then be confronted with the corporation's duplicitous role in dealing with the climate crisis and its related issues, such that it has been labelled 'the worst company in the world' by Henry Waxman, former Member of Congress and Chairman of the US NGO Mighty Earth. A reality check of what the corporation in actuality does throws light on the complete emptiness of its corporate social responsibility claims. Contents .1. The Coming of Woke Capitalism .2. A company's individual angle on woke issues .3. Cargill and sustainability .4. What does Cargill mean by 'sustainable development'? .5. Analysis of 'sustainable development' and 'sustainability' .6. Cargill's large negative impact on the natural world ENDNOTES References This article discusses how one company self-importantly claims to be safeguarding our planet and operating in a sustainable way while contributing to its destruction.
On the hegemonic power of the pandemic discourse Richard J. Alexander (Emeritus Professor at Vien... more On the hegemonic power of the pandemic discourse
Richard J. Alexander (Emeritus Professor at Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration)(2021)
Keywords: pandemic, COVID, discourse, health, vaccine, government
The paper claims that corona discourse is here to stay. The pandemic has achieved hegemony over humanity. The everyday discourse patterns that from the start were packed with medical and epidemiological terms and phrases have apparently come to stay. And epidemiology has become in no uncertain terms the new hegemony. What has happened brings to mind Gramsci’s idea of hegemony which captures and imprisons us. One section looks at how the UK government dealt with the pandemic. There are aspects that have been underplayed by the government from the start of the pandemic. One is how COVID-19 has affected certain socio-economic groups and professions differently. What the majority of the media comments on COVID-19 and the measures being taken, such as the just quoted UK politicians and experts are involved in, lack is a bigger picture. Their attention is focused on immediate problems and proximate causes. The effects of the pandemic on people’s lives are briefly analysed. The rapid vaccine production and rollout has changed the situation.
At the same time the emergence and rapid spread of new variants have demonstrated what global health experts warned all along: that none of us is safe until everyone is safe.
Subsequent sections discuss, firstly, the focus on molecular biology and the neglect of the broader eco-social frame within which such viruses develop. Secondly the failure to prepare for the current pandemic is alluded to. A significant issue concerning the role of the European Union and the pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca in the delivery of vaccines is discussed. Attempts and actions to counteract the hegemonic control are outlined.
The discussion of the situation of COVID-19 within the broader context of environmental disintegration rounds off the paper.
unknown, 2021
On the hegemonic power of the pandemic discourse Richard J. Alexander (Emeritus Professor at Vien... more On the hegemonic power of the pandemic discourse
Richard J. Alexander (Emeritus Professor at Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration)(2021)
Keywords: pandemic, COVID, discourse, health, vaccine, government
The paper claims that corona discourse is here to stay. The pandemic has achieved hegemony over humanity. The everyday discourse patterns that from the start were packed with medical and epidemiological terms and phrases have apparently come to stay. And epidemiology has become in no uncertain terms the new hegemony. What has happened brings to mind Gramsci’s idea of hegemony which captures and imprisons us. One section looks at how the UK government dealt with the pandemic. There are aspects that have been underplayed by the government from the start of the pandemic. One is how COVID-19 has affected certain socio-economic groups and professions differently. What the majority of the media comments on COVID-19 and the measures being taken, such as the just quoted UK politicians and experts are involved in, lack is a bigger picture. Their attention is focused on immediate problems and proximate causes. The effects of the pandemic on people’s lives are briefly analysed. The rapid vaccine production and rollout has changed the situation.
At the same time the emergence and rapid spread of new variants have demonstrated what global health experts warned all along: that none of us is safe until everyone is safe.
Subsequent sections discuss, firstly, the focus on molecular biology and the neglect of the broader eco-social frame within which such viruses develop. Secondly the failure to prepare for the current pandemic is alluded to. A significant issue concerning the role of the European Union and the pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca in the delivery of vaccines is discussed. Attempts and actions to counteract the hegemonic control are outlined.
The discussion of the situation of COVID-19 within the broader context of environmental disintegration rounds off the paper.