The dominant language variation on sustainability: interpreting from Bourdieusian sociology

Purpose This study aims to present, in the scope of organization studies, an interpretation of the dominant language variation on sustainability from the Bourdieusian sociology. Design/methodology/approach The authors resorted to Bourdieusian sociology, specifically the concepts of language, discursive institution, speaking, saying, discourse, doxa and belief, for interpreting the dominant language variation on sustainability in organization studies. Findings The standard language variation on sustainability generates a belief in social importance and justifies organizations’ relevance as discursive institutions that legitimately monopolize what is conventionally admitted as “truth” about sustainability. To perpetuate their dominance, organizations act to enable a social world that adjusts and adapts to the dominant language variation on sustainability. Research limitations/implications The authors sustain that such interpretation is far from being dichotomous, or even objective, once it calls for social agents who dare to exercise a free reflection about the social construction of the reality that congregates debates concerning (im)possible relationships between organizations and sustainability and their (dis)connections and (in)consistencies. Originality/value The intention is to provide a space for discussion that organizations and sustainability can share. Consensus, harmony and alignment are not implicit in this discussion space. On the contrary, the authors assume that there is a crisis, divergences and conflicts in the environment that bring together, within its scope, arguments about organizations and sustainability.