Catastrophism: The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth

by Sasha Lilley, David McNally, Eddie Yuen

We live in catastrophic times. The world is reeling from the deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression, with the threat of further meltdowns ever-looming. Global warming and myriad dire ecological disasters worsen—with little if any action to halt them—their effects rippling across the planet in the shape of almost biblical floods, fires, droughts, and hurricanes. Governments warn that there is no alternative to the bitter medicine they prescribe—or risk devastating financial or social collapse. The right, whether religious or secular, views the present as catastrophic and wants to turn the clock back. The left fears for the worst, but hopes some good will emerge from the rubble. Visions of the apocalypse and predictions of impending doom abound. Across the political spectrum, a culture of fear reigns.? Catastrophism explores the politics of apocalypse—on the left and right, in the environmental movement—and examines why the lens of catastrophe can distort our understanding of the dynamics at the heart of these numerous disasters—and fatally impede our ability to transform the world. Lilley, McNally, Yuen, and Davis probe the reasons why catastrophic thinking is so prevalent, and challenge the belief that it is only out of the ashes that a better society may be born. The authors argue that those who care about social justice and the environment should jettison doomsaying—even as it relates to indisputably apocalyptic climate change. Far from calling people to arms, they suggest, catastrophic fear often results in passivity and paralysis—and, at worst, reactionary politics.?

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Political Science, Ecology

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful, if not earthshattering (no pun intended). Well-written essays that make the case: predictions of apocalyptic catastrophe can be a useful tool for galvanizing the right, because they confirm the reactionary worldview, and reify the rightwing desire for authoritarianism. But they are not useful for building movements to transform society in a more humane, democratic, ecological, and equitable way. On the left or in apolitical people “catastrophism” merely tends to generate despair and a sense of powerlessness, which results in cynicism, absorption in the trivial, and immobility.

Sadly, the weakest chapter is the one on apocalyptic cultural production. It is narrowly focused on zombies (a fun and fruitful topic however) – but apocalyptic symbols and narratives are a much broader and deeper part of our cultural inheritance, and they resonate far more on a mythic level of understanding than on an historical or political one. Left rationalism would like to see myth defanged by reducing it to history (the chapter’s author quotes Walter Benjamin to that effect) but mythic consciousness is irreducible to historical consciousness because the conception of time is fundamentally different. The left idea that class-conscious rationalism alone is sufficient to nullify deep-seated supra-rational (joyful, transcendental, as well as terrible) elements of human experience is a weakness of much theory, and needs to be reconsidered.

[Matt Fodor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was quite taken aback by the positive reception of the positive reception this book has received on the left. It is a terrible book. Ian Angus offers an excellent rebuttal in Monthly Review, particularly to Eddie Yuen's lead essay.

[Dan Sharber · Rating 4 out of 5]

i thought this book was great and a necessary wake up to a lot of environmentalists who unwittingly traffic in catastrophist politics. the right wing catastrophe chapter was very enlightening as well. the mcnally piece at the end on monsters was particularly enjoyable but did not fit as cleanly with the other essays. overall i definitely recommend this book to anyone on the left.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection contains four sharp essays that explore the uses and ramifications of catastrophism in politics and pop culture.

Eddie Yuen, in "The Politics of Failure Have Failed," argues that apocalypticism has not served the environmental movement due to a catastrophe fatigue, the paralyzing effects of fear, a tendency to pair bleak analysis with insufficient solutions, and a tendency to abstract agency out to "humanity" or narrow it specifically to the individual without analyzing the structural roots.

In "Great Chaos Under Heaven," Sasha Lilley pokes holes in the idea that capitalism will collapse without organized struggle and challenges the belief that collapse will inherently benefit the left, explaining how both ideas stem from a pessimism about collective action.

In "A War wit the Future," James Davis surveys the recent history of right-wing apocalypticism, showing how it can bolster the militaristic elements of the state, and in "Land of the Living Dead," David McNally explores how the use of zombie imagery in popular culture reflects political economic anxieties and realities.

[Tyler Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book of scholarly essays is not anywhere near my wheelhouse and I am glad I read it for precisely that reason. The essays in here gave me rafts of new data on catastrophism, schools of conservative political thought, and approaches to solving the very real, very relevant problems of late capitalism and all its attendant poisons. I think differently than I did before I started reading this, and that is probably the best compliment I can issue to any book. Plus, the book ends with literary critical analysis of Frankenstein's monster and zombies, so I am pretty sure they saw me coming.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought-provoking, more Political Science than Geography, which is the class that assigned me this reading - but, still enlightening and at times almost prophetic. In light of the current state of affairs and agenda of the Trump administration that we are now bearing witness to, this book clearly presents out the argument for how catastrophic narratives and fear-inducing strategies are very effective tools that bringing to fruition more authoritarian politics and policies of the right.

[Soph Nova · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection felt a little disjointed, like 4 essays were crammed together to try and make one point (or actually 3 essays making one point and 1 essay as the fun cherry on top). That being said, it's a cogent point - even if some of the analysis pieces don't quite hold up. I recommend reading if you are deep in the weeds of political theory/ideas for collective action on climate change, but not totally necessary either.

[Scott Neigh]

Reviewed here.