Coloniality in Intellectual Property Rights Legitimations: A Critical Discourse Analysis of The Pharmaceutical Industry’s Legitimation of Intellectual Property Rights During the COVID-19 Pandemic
(2022) SIMZ31 20221Graduate School
- Abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a global debate on intellectual property rights involving various actors including nation states, civil society, and business. In October 2020, South Africa and India proposed that certain intellectual property rights on COVID-19 health products should be temporarily waivered for the remainder of the pandemic invoking strong opposition from the pharmaceutical industry. This thesis conducts a critical discourse analysis to identify how, when faced with critique, the pharmaceutical industry seeks to legitimate the use of intellectual property rights on their health products during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they seek to delegitimate South Africa and India’s proposal. The empirical data consists of public... (More)
- The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a global debate on intellectual property rights involving various actors including nation states, civil society, and business. In October 2020, South Africa and India proposed that certain intellectual property rights on COVID-19 health products should be temporarily waivered for the remainder of the pandemic invoking strong opposition from the pharmaceutical industry. This thesis conducts a critical discourse analysis to identify how, when faced with critique, the pharmaceutical industry seeks to legitimate the use of intellectual property rights on their health products during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they seek to delegitimate South Africa and India’s proposal. The empirical data consists of public statements and press releases published on the websites of various pharmaceutical corporations and their industry associations as well as of letters addressed to United States Government officials from pharmaceutical corporations and their industry associations. With the help of Van Leeuwen’s legitimation model, legitimation strategies were identified in the documents and through a decolonial approach, the thesis uncovers how coloniality is evident in the legitimations utilised by the pharmaceutical industry. In doing this, the study illustrates how colonial discourses are necessary for the perpetuation of certain relations of power that have their roots in colonialism. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9099435
- author
- Honkaniemi, Sanna Sofia LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SIMZ31 20221
- year
- 2022
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Critical Discourse Analysis, Pharmaceutical Industry, Intellectual Property Rights, Legitimation, Coloniality
- language
- English
- id
- 9099435
- date added to LUP
- 2022-09-20 08:50:20
- date last changed
- 2022-09-20 08:50:20
@misc{9099435, abstract = {{The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a global debate on intellectual property rights involving various actors including nation states, civil society, and business. In October 2020, South Africa and India proposed that certain intellectual property rights on COVID-19 health products should be temporarily waivered for the remainder of the pandemic invoking strong opposition from the pharmaceutical industry. This thesis conducts a critical discourse analysis to identify how, when faced with critique, the pharmaceutical industry seeks to legitimate the use of intellectual property rights on their health products during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they seek to delegitimate South Africa and India’s proposal. The empirical data consists of public statements and press releases published on the websites of various pharmaceutical corporations and their industry associations as well as of letters addressed to United States Government officials from pharmaceutical corporations and their industry associations. With the help of Van Leeuwen’s legitimation model, legitimation strategies were identified in the documents and through a decolonial approach, the thesis uncovers how coloniality is evident in the legitimations utilised by the pharmaceutical industry. In doing this, the study illustrates how colonial discourses are necessary for the perpetuation of certain relations of power that have their roots in colonialism.}}, author = {{Honkaniemi, Sanna Sofia}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, title = {{Coloniality in Intellectual Property Rights Legitimations: A Critical Discourse Analysis of The Pharmaceutical Industry’s Legitimation of Intellectual Property Rights During the COVID-19 Pandemic}}, year = {{2022}}, }