From green to speech: a discursive, terminological, and multimodal analysis of book ecology at Écosociété and in Francophone publishing

This thesis offers a critical and multimodal analysis (MCDA) of book ecology, conceptualized as a field of action for new dynamics in discursive, terminological, and editorial practices within ecopolitical engagement. Specifically, it seeks to frame specialized terminology and multimodal discursive representations within Francophone editorial discourses addressing ecological issues, with the dual aim of understanding both the current debate on the book’s role in the climate crisis and the evolving terminological landscape. The research analyzes ecological and climate-related discourses in the publishing sector, applying the engaged paradigm of climate crisis response to this cultural and symbolic field. It aims not only to provide an overview of ecological publications in Francophone contexts—through roadmaps and reports for sustainable publishing—but also to outline emerging practices that rethink the role of publishing within a broader ecopolitical perspective. The project maps the discursive and terminological horizon of book ecology, using Francophone contexts as exempla to be transposed onto the international landscape, starting from Écosociété’s multimodal and activist strategies. Defining the ecology of the book emerges as a key issue, both to identify new trends in specialized terminology and to explore how climate and environmental challenges permeate editorial discourse and shared practices through interdisciplinary reflection. This approach, encompassing editorial and climate-related discourses, the book’s ecosystem, and ecocritical and ecolinguistic studies, interrogates the interrelation of terms—such as bibliodiversity and decarbonization—while addressing the environmental constraints facing the sector. In this perspective, terminology becomes a mirror of resistance for a field that is material, social, and symbolic. Multimodal analysis identifies metaphorical framings and discursive strategies that shape editorial positions, contributing to the theorization of ecological publishing and thus opening paths toward new ecotopian imaginaries, shaping new scenarios in an ecotopian perspective.