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Critical discourse analysis of perspectives on knowledge and the knowledge society within the Sustainable Development Goals

Author

Listed:
  • Sarah Cummings
  • Barbara Regeer
  • Leah de Haan
  • Marjolein Zweekhorst
  • Joske Bunders

Abstract

Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is employed to analyze discourses of knowledge and the knowledge society in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Discourse analysis is a collective name for a number of scientific methodologies for analyzing semiosis, namely how meaning is created and communicated though written, vocal or sign language. Employing a genealogical approach which locates discourses in the field of prior discourses, two prior discourses of the knowledge society are identified in the key document of the SDGs. The concepts knowledge and knowledge society are found to have a marginal position within the main policy document “Transforming our world,” adopted by the United Nations in September 2015. The techno‐scientific‐economic discourse is found to be dominant at the level of implementation and of goals, while there is some evidence of the pluralist‐participatory discourse at the level of vision and strategy. Analysis of some of the policy advice provided by international organizations and civil society indicates that more pluralist‐participatory discourses on knowledge were represented when the SDGs were being formulated. Developed countries and the corporate sector were very influential in determining the final text and were probably instrumental in excluding more transformational discourses and maintaining the status quo.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah Cummings & Barbara Regeer & Leah de Haan & Marjolein Zweekhorst & Joske Bunders, 2018. "Critical discourse analysis of perspectives on knowledge and the knowledge society within the Sustainable Development Goals," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 36(6), pages 727-742, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:devpol:v:36:y:2018:i:6:p:727-742
    DOI: 10.1111/dpr.12296
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robin Mansell, 2015. "Futures of knowledge societies: destabilization in whose interest?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 56559, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. United Nations UN, 2015. "Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Working Papers id:7559, eSocialSciences.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yared Nigussie Demssie & Harm J. A. Biemans & Renate Wesselink & Martin Mulder, 2020. "Combining Indigenous Knowledge and Modern Education to Foster Sustainability Competencies: Towards a Set of Learning Design Principles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-20, August.
    2. Sarah Cummings & Nyamwaya Munthali & Toni Sittoni, 2025. "Epistemic Justice as a “New Normal?” Interrogating the Contributions of Communities of Practice to Decolonization of Knowledge," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(3), pages 3228-3245, June.
    3. Marton Demeter, 2022. "Development Studies in the World System of Global Knowledge Production: A Critical Empirical Analysis," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 22(3), pages 239-256, July.
    4. Sarah Cummings & Gerrit-Jan Uffelen, 2025. "A Knowledge Agenda for food systems resilience in protracted crisis in the Horn of Africa," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 17(4), pages 985-1000, August.
    5. Aleksandra Koroza & Peter G. H. Evans, 2022. "Bottlenose Dolphin Responses to Boat Traffic Affected by Boat Characteristics and Degree of Compliance to Code of Conduct," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-16, April.
    6. Grzegorz Maciejewski & Dawid Lesznik, 2022. "Consumers Towards the Goals of Sustainable Development: Attitudes and Typology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-17, August.
    7. Sotiroula Liasidou, 2022. "Reviewing the Content of European Countries’ Official Tourism Websites: A Neo/Post-Fordist Perspective," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 3(2), pages 1-19, April.
    8. Gulzhanat Gafu & Daniel Hernández-Torrano & Nurgul Terlikbayeva & Anara Zhanseitova, 2025. "Mapping the Landscape of SDG Research in Kazakhstan: A Machine Learning–Based Approach," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(5), pages 15879-15904, November.
    9. Aziz Omar & Martin Hvarregaard Thorsøe, 2024. "Rebalance power and strengthen farmers’ position in the EU food system? A CDA of the Farm to Fork Strategy," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 41(2), pages 631-646, June.
    10. Sarah Cummings & Anastasia‐Alithia Seferiadis & Leah de Haan, 2020. "Getting down to business? Critical discourse analysis of perspectives on the private sector in sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 759-771, July.
    11. Sarah Cummings & Charles Dhewa & Gladys Kemboi & Stacey Young, 2023. "Doing epistemic justice in sustainable development: Applying the philosophical concept of epistemic injustice to the real world," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(3), pages 1965-1977, June.
    12. Daniel Wuebben & Roman Meinhold & Giovanni Frigo, 2025. "SDGs and fictional energy utopias: Gauging sustainable energy transitions against Ecotopia (1975) and The Ministry for the Future (2020)," Energy & Environment, , vol. 36(2), pages 908-924, March.
    13. Huabin Wang, 2023. "Instrumentalisation of critical discourse studies: a linguistic analysis of public relations concepts in the CDS journal article abstracts (2000–2020)," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-11, December.
    14. Marton Demeter & Agnes Jele & Zsolt Balázs Major, 2022. "The model of maximum productivity for research universities SciVal author ranks, productivity, university rankings, and their implications," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(8), pages 4335-4361, August.
    15. Qureshi, Israr & Bhatt, Babita & Sutter, Christopher & Shukla, Dhirendra Mani, 2023. "Social entrepreneurship and intersectionality: Mitigating extreme exclusion," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 38(2).
    16. Kristina Jönsson & Magdalena Bexell, 2021. "Localizing the Sustainable Development Goals: The case of Tanzania," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 39(2), pages 181-196, March.
    17. Vishal Sharma & Rajesh Kumar & Kirti Sood, 2025. "The Influence of Financial Socialization, Financial Self-Efficacy, and Self-Control on Financial Well-Being: Does Personal Financial Management Behavior Mediates the Relationship?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(6), pages 18206-18236, December.

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