The Discourse of Risk and Processes of Institutional Change

Abstract

In this chapter the authors explore the role that the dominant discourse of risk has played in the processes of institutional change that have taken place in the field of chemistry as a result of the emergence and expansion of “green” chemistry. The aim of green chemistry is to replace hazardous substances with benign ones so as to eliminate chemical risks to human health and the environment. They show how significant institutional changes have occurred through two forms of “risk translation” that have changed the discursive landscape by constructing new kinds of “knowing subjects” who are able to act on different “known” objects.