Le développement durable : thématique nouvelle, rhétorique conventionnelle

Abstract

Speeches about sustainable development represent an opportunity for political leaders to mobilize wide audiences, as they refer to crucial worldwide issues. The discursive analysis of seventy-four cases, however, sheds light on a common feature: the speakers characteristically hesitate between personal commitment and self-effacement. We argue that the theme of sustainable development -both flourishing and self-contradictory- forcefully drives the speaker to alternate between authoritarian, scientific and conciliatory perspectives. It may thus appear much less fruitful than it is usually recognized.

Keywords

• sustainable development
• political discourse
• discourse analysis
• policy narrative