Why are we talking about Norway? Discourses of Norway's exceptionality in global media coverage of electric vehicles

This article sheds light on the discursive context within which road transport electrification is negotiated and enacted around the world by examining how Norway's exceptionality is constructed in media coverage of electric vehicles (EV). Wherever road transport electrification is debated, Norw...

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Main Author: Ville Kumpu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Social Sciences and Humanities Open
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125002840
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author Ville Kumpu
author_facet Ville Kumpu
author_sort Ville Kumpu
collection DOAJ
description This article sheds light on the discursive context within which road transport electrification is negotiated and enacted around the world by examining how Norway's exceptionality is constructed in media coverage of electric vehicles (EV). Wherever road transport electrification is debated, Norway is likely to be mentioned as a case in point. The exceptionality of Norway may be framed in many ways, which reflect different ideas of why and how road transport electrification is taking place as a global change. As a part of the global discursive context, the construction of Norway's exceptionality shapes how road transport electrification is deliberated at the national level. The discourse analysis presented in this article shows that there were five discourses involved in the construction of Norway's exceptionality. It was typically constructed with the purpose of either comparing or ranking countries for their EV adoption. Norway was also referred to with the purpose of illustrating change, asking critical questions, and empowering learning. The findings of this study indicate that road transport electrification is not understood as a global challenge requiring countries to work together, but as a transition that countries are enacting individually in a context of constant mutual comparison and competition.
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spelling doaj-art-2c208f99f3d944efb692cd3e17adf9452025-08-20T02:37:06ZengElsevierSocial Sciences and Humanities Open2590-29112025-01-011110155610.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101556Why are we talking about Norway? Discourses of Norway's exceptionality in global media coverage of electric vehiclesVille Kumpu0Tampere University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Unit of Social Research, FI-33014, Tampere, FinlandThis article sheds light on the discursive context within which road transport electrification is negotiated and enacted around the world by examining how Norway's exceptionality is constructed in media coverage of electric vehicles (EV). Wherever road transport electrification is debated, Norway is likely to be mentioned as a case in point. The exceptionality of Norway may be framed in many ways, which reflect different ideas of why and how road transport electrification is taking place as a global change. As a part of the global discursive context, the construction of Norway's exceptionality shapes how road transport electrification is deliberated at the national level. The discourse analysis presented in this article shows that there were five discourses involved in the construction of Norway's exceptionality. It was typically constructed with the purpose of either comparing or ranking countries for their EV adoption. Norway was also referred to with the purpose of illustrating change, asking critical questions, and empowering learning. The findings of this study indicate that road transport electrification is not understood as a global challenge requiring countries to work together, but as a transition that countries are enacting individually in a context of constant mutual comparison and competition.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125002840Electric vehiclesRoad transport electrificationDiscourse analysisMedia
spellingShingle Ville Kumpu
Why are we talking about Norway? Discourses of Norway's exceptionality in global media coverage of electric vehicles
Social Sciences and Humanities Open
Electric vehicles
Road transport electrification
Discourse analysis
Media
title Why are we talking about Norway? Discourses of Norway's exceptionality in global media coverage of electric vehicles
title_full Why are we talking about Norway? Discourses of Norway's exceptionality in global media coverage of electric vehicles
title_fullStr Why are we talking about Norway? Discourses of Norway's exceptionality in global media coverage of electric vehicles
title_full_unstemmed Why are we talking about Norway? Discourses of Norway's exceptionality in global media coverage of electric vehicles
title_short Why are we talking about Norway? Discourses of Norway's exceptionality in global media coverage of electric vehicles
title_sort why are we talking about norway discourses of norway s exceptionality in global media coverage of electric vehicles
topic Electric vehicles
Road transport electrification
Discourse analysis
Media
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125002840
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