University of Twente Student Theses
We’re all living in very interesting times : The emergent sustainable transformation of local sociotechnical regimes depending on fossil resources. A narrative discourse analysis for the case of Barrancabermeja, Colombia.
Stegemann, Laura (2019) We’re all living in very interesting times : The emergent sustainable transformation of local sociotechnical regimes depending on fossil resources. A narrative discourse analysis for the case of Barrancabermeja, Colombia.
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| Abstract: | Wondering about the possibility and emergence of respective transformations in the multitude of local contexts dependent on fossil resources, this study concentrates on a place where every story begins and ends with petroleum. The world of the Colombian town Barrancabermeja has been depending on the ups and downs of an economy built on the exploration, production, refining and transportation of crude oil since the beginning of the past century. In the frame of a qualitative research project on transformative innovation policymaking in Colombia, this master thesis is interested in emergent sustainability transformations encoded in subjective narratives about the territory. In other words, it aims at collecting all that Barrancabermeja is “not yet” (Ernst Bloch) by means of listening to local citizens. Gramsci introduced “hegemony” as a notion for the analysis of how humans structure their systems. The concept found common application in the study of international relations and was further refined with the rediscovery of Lacan and the subsequent language turn in social sciences. Taking over this discourse theoretical perspective and integrating it with Geel’s multilevel perspective, this work explores the emergence of productive sectors and activities as windows of opportunity for sustainable future projection of local economies highly dependent on fossil resources. For the specific analysis of the case of Barrancabermeja, ethnographic observations as well as in-depth interviews have been engaged to collect data, whose narratives where analyzed based on de Sousa Santos’ knowledge sociological approach. Finally, policy recommendations are derived in order to explore, how these findings can be used for constructing local solutions to the global problem of transforming our fossil-dependent modern society. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 88 social and public administration |
| Programme: | Public Administration MSc (60020) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/78388 |
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