Contested agendas and discursive strategies of sustainability: A critical analysis of promotional discourses at the World Expo

Abstract

Sustainability is a global discourse that relies on local commitment, yet few studies have compared how different countries interpret it based on their socioeconomic contexts. This study examines the agendas and the discursive strategies of sustainability at Expo 2020's Sustainability District, approached as a site of international public relations, through content and thematic analyses of the exhibition materials. Findings show that developed countries predominantly focused on economic and environmental dimensions, emphasizing green technology, energy, and responsible consumption and production. Their discourses aligned with the logic of ecological modernization, prioritizing corporate interests and techno-centric solutions. In contrast, less-developed countries were more likely to address all four dimensions of sustainability—social, economic, environmental, and cultural—highlighting issues such as gender equality, poverty, peace, and cultural preservation. These exhibitions reflected the complex realities faced by these countries due to environmental degradation and global political-economic dependencies. This paper argues that the predominant discourse of sustainable development, as reflected in the promotional materials of highly developed countries, reinforces corporatized and technocratic perspectives, thereby marginalizing concerns related to cultural preservation and distributive justice.