ABSTRACT
This chapter develops theoretical insights found in the Crimes of the Powerful (CotP) argument for “imaginary social relations” and the Toxic Capitalism argument for “first- and second-order relations.” Specifically, these concepts are used as the beginning for an examination of the interplay between social structures (including organizational structures) and discourses. The chapter moves from Pearce’s long-term engagement with the theories of critical realism and Michel Foucault, to then expanding Pearce’s arguments through engagement with Raymond Murphy’s work on “recombinant nature” and Ian Hacking’s work on “looping effects.” Pearce’s approach is argued to contain a well-formulated and well-articulated account of the “enmeshment” between discourses, the extra-discursive, human agents and social structures. The resulting theoretical approach is then used to examine the current lack of planning in Canada for long-term storage of hazardous nuclear waste.
