Articulating Rubbish: A Sociolinguistic Approach to the "Crisis of Waste"
An SNSF-funded project running from May 2023 to April 2027, directed by Prof. Dr. Crispin Thurlow with doctoral researchers Charmaine Kong, Alessandro Pellanda and Laura Wohlgemuth. Whether we call it trash, garbage, junk, refuse, detritus, or just rubbish, waste is undoubtedly a matter of major concern: “With approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of municipal waste generated each year … urgent action is needed to head off the threat to the environment and human health posed by this global waste crisis.” (UNEP, 2012). Simply put, the Articulating Rubbish project asks the following question: what is the role of language in this “crisis of waste”? We know, for example, that language plays a powerful role in naming and categorizing the world around us. It is in this way that words not only help define what waste is and isn’t, but also help produce, maintain, and regulate the everyday practices of waste-making – both small-scale and large-scale.
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