ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book analyzes six books that are characteristic of the genre of popular environmental writing that Rachel Carson initiated. It utilizes the eight commonplaces about science as a lens through which to understand how these books develop narratives and lines of argument that rely on scientists and scientific evidence. Using Fairclough's method of CDA, the chapter shows how the commonplaces construct activities and social relations, allowing writers to develop appeals that simultaneously rely on science and critique its cultural power. It investigates the writing strategies used by a non-profit environmental group to shape land-use policy decisions on a small, local scale in order to protect a natural space near Henderson, Nevada. The chapter promises to add to an understanding of how citizens can act as technical experts, blurring the line between the scientific expert and the engaged "lay" citizen.
