Rearranging collective memory about nature: the case of Oatly
(2024) SKOM12 20241Department of Strategic Communication
- Abstract
- This thesis explores the practice of sustainability communication among emerging corporate entities in the food industry, contending that these actors utilise collective memory to advance their objectives. Employing Foucault’s archaeology and genealogy, the study scrutinises power dynamics within Oatly’s campaigns, aiming to comprehend how the discourse surrounding nature is shaped and how collective memory is manipulated. The theoretical framework draws upon Michel Foucault’s concept of power/knowledge and Maurice Halbwachs’s collective memory, seeking to unfold the interaction between corporate sustainability discourse and societal perceptions of nature and climate change. Existing research has underscored the pivotal role of... (More)
- This thesis explores the practice of sustainability communication among emerging corporate entities in the food industry, contending that these actors utilise collective memory to advance their objectives. Employing Foucault’s archaeology and genealogy, the study scrutinises power dynamics within Oatly’s campaigns, aiming to comprehend how the discourse surrounding nature is shaped and how collective memory is manipulated. The theoretical framework draws upon Michel Foucault’s concept of power/knowledge and Maurice Halbwachs’s collective memory, seeking to unfold the interaction between corporate sustainability discourse and societal perceptions of nature and climate change. Existing research has underscored the pivotal role of sustainability communication in influencing societal behaviour towards nature, however, not many studies addressed the role of collective memory as the tool in sustainability messaging. Thus, the central research question guiding this study is: How do new actors in the food industry challenge societal collective memory in discourses about nature? The findings of the study underscore the strategic use of collective memory in sustainability communication, wherein Oatly employs tactics such as blurring, erasing, etching, and adjusting the past to align with their sustainability agenda. This rearrangement of collective memory serves to reshape societal perceptions, prompting legislative changes and influencing cultural shifts. Additionally, while corporations are encouraged to embrace sustainability practices, this study argues there are potential risks associated with sustainability messaging. Amidst the prevailing moral imperative and optimistic portrayal of sustainability, information regarding climate change and the environment often presents a singular, overly positive perspective. This selective framing may result in a distorted understanding of sustainability and a revisionist interpretation of nature and the past. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9158660
- author
- Oktafiana, Ratih LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SKOM12 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Foucault, Halbwachs, sustainability communication, climate change, collective memory, food industry, Oatly
- language
- English
- id
- 9158660
- date added to LUP
- 2024-06-14 16:11:52
- date last changed
- 2024-06-14 16:11:52
@misc{9158660,
abstract = {{This thesis explores the practice of sustainability communication among emerging corporate entities in the food industry, contending that these actors utilise collective memory to advance their objectives. Employing Foucault’s archaeology and genealogy, the study scrutinises power dynamics within Oatly’s campaigns, aiming to comprehend how the discourse surrounding nature is shaped and how collective memory is manipulated. The theoretical framework draws upon Michel Foucault’s concept of power/knowledge and Maurice Halbwachs’s collective memory, seeking to unfold the interaction between corporate sustainability discourse and societal perceptions of nature and climate change. Existing research has underscored the pivotal role of sustainability communication in influencing societal behaviour towards nature, however, not many studies addressed the role of collective memory as the tool in sustainability messaging. Thus, the central research question guiding this study is: How do new actors in the food industry challenge societal collective memory in discourses about nature? The findings of the study underscore the strategic use of collective memory in sustainability communication, wherein Oatly employs tactics such as blurring, erasing, etching, and adjusting the past to align with their sustainability agenda. This rearrangement of collective memory serves to reshape societal perceptions, prompting legislative changes and influencing cultural shifts. Additionally, while corporations are encouraged to embrace sustainability practices, this study argues there are potential risks associated with sustainability messaging. Amidst the prevailing moral imperative and optimistic portrayal of sustainability, information regarding climate change and the environment often presents a singular, overly positive perspective. This selective framing may result in a distorted understanding of sustainability and a revisionist interpretation of nature and the past.}},
author = {{Oktafiana, Ratih}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Rearranging collective memory about nature: the case of Oatly}},
year = {{2024}},
}