Rianne is a PhD candidate at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and will be a visiting scholar at the CEH this spring in April and May to work on (finalizing) her dissertation, join the Center’s activities and explore research topics and projects at the intersection of environmental humanities and new media.

In her PhD project “Dreams of Decoupling: Ecomodernism in Tech-on-Climate Discourse” (working title), Rianne studies how American tech companies position themselves in the climate crisis through their environmental discourse. Through a close analysis of texts, videos and images published by Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Apple, as well as an analysis of commercial spacefaring projects and philanthropical campaigns by Silicon Valley actors, the research shows how the climate crisis is discussed and imagined by prominent tech actors. The research studies the strategies that are used to convey a positive connection between tech companies and the planet, as well as the underlying ideology of ecomodernism.

Rianne is a visiting scholar between 17 April and 9 May. She will present her work at the CEH on the 24th of April and is looking forward to meeting fellow researchers here and at other opportunities.