Honors Projects

Abstract

In a time of rife political conflict and debate, it is important to understand the underlying power dynamics that permeate our society in America. As devised by French historian and philosopher Michel Foucault, power and knowledge are mutually constitutive forces that shape our social relations. Through the actions of certain discourses, distinct truths are cultivated that in turn, reinforce existing power structures. In this study, these concepts are applied to the Dakota Access Pipeline controversy in the form of a Foucauldian discourse analysis to understand how the pipeline remained operational in the face of great opposition. Written discourse in the form of interview transcriptions, press releases, and government documents of the primary actors of Energy Transfer Partners, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, and U.S. governmental agencies were analyzed to identify techniques. This paper concluded that Energy Transfer Partners and the U.S. government exhibited the dominant discourses within this controversy. As a result, environmental injustices were perpetuated by the establishment of truth regimes that prioritized the interests of capitalism, energy independence, and the fossil fuel sector among others.

Department

Environment and Sustainability

Major

Environmental Policy and Analysis

First Advisor

Dr. Timothy Pape

First Advisor Department

Environment and Sustainability

Second Advisor

Dr. Andrew Kear

Second Advisor Department

Political Science

Publication Date

Spring 4-27-2026

Download

Share

COinS