Governing Sustainable Development

Carl Death teaches environmental politics and African politics in the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University. His chief area of research is the governance and contestation of sustainable development in Southern Africa, and he has spent time conducting research at the University of the Witwatersrand, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and Dublin City University in recent years.

• 1. Introduction 2. Power, Discourse, Government 3. Producing Sustainable Development 4. Negotiating Sustainable Development 5. Performing Sustainable Development 6. Resisting Sustainable Development 7. Conclusion

Carl Death’s innovative examination of power/knowledge relations in operation at the 2002 WSSD reveals fascinating insights into how different stakeholders ‘performed’ and used the summit for their own ends. It also provides a nuanced interrogation of the underlying discourses and processes of ‘sustainable development’. Prof David Simon, Royal Holloway, University of LondonIn Governing Sustainable Development, Carl Death deftly explores how mega-summits, a staple of global environmental politics, cannot be dismissed as theatrical grandstanding, because it is precisely in their theatre that they (re)produce powerful political discourses that shape the world’s responses to environmental change. As part of a growing Foucauldian literature on environmental politics, it is indispensable to understanding the role of mega-summits in global politics.Matthew Paterson, University of Ottawa, Canada "This is an exciting, new take on sustainable development. Too often dismissed in scholarly circles as mere rhetoric and empty slogans, this book lays bare the political effects of sustainable development, both globally and locally in South Africa. It is a major contribution to the emerging literature on global governmentality, highlighting not only the power of partnerships in contemporary environmental governance but also the possibilities of resistance. Incisive, engaging and timely, the book speaks directly to a wide range of audiences, including those interested in global governance, environment, development and South African politics."Rita Abrahamsen, University of Ottawa, Canada