Overheating: An Anthropology of Accelerated Change

by Thomas Hylland Eriksen

We live in a time of global crisis—or, more appropriately, overlapping, interlocking global problems that are inextricably tied to modernity. Overheating offers a groundbreaking new way of looking at the problems of the Anthropocene, exploring crises of the environment, economy, and identity through an anthropological lens. Thomas Hylland Eriksen argues that while each of these crises is global in scope, they are nonetheless perceived and responded to locally—and that once we realize that, we begin to see the contradictions that abound between the standardizing forces of global capitalism and the socially embedded nature of people and local practices. Only by acknowledging the primacy of the local, Eriksen shows, can we begin to even properly understand, let alone address, these problems on a global scale.
 

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, Sociology, Politics, Climate Change, Essays

192 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2016

About the author

Geir Thomas Hylland Eriksen was a Norwegian anthropologist known for his scholarly and popular writing on globalization, identity, ethnicity, and nationalism. He was Professor of Social Anthropology in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo. He has previously served as the President of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (2015–2016), as well as the Editor of Samtiden (1993–2001), Norsk antropologisk tidsskrift (1993–1997), the Journal of Peace Research, and Ethnos.
Hylland Eriksen was among the most prolific and highly cited anthropologists of his generation, and had been recognized for his remarkable success in bringing an anthropological perspective to a broader, non-academic audience. In Norway, Hylland Eriksen was a well-known public intellectual whose advocacy of diversity and cultural pluralism had earned both praise and scorn. Right-wing terrorist Anders Behring Breivik, perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, cited Eriksen critically in his manifesto and during his 2012 trial.
In the academy and beyond, Hylland Eriksen had been highly decorated for his scholarship. He was the recipient of honorary degrees from Stockholm University (2011), the University of Copenhagen (2021), and Charles University in Prague (2021), as well as one of anthropology's most prestigious honors, the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography's Gold Medal (2022). He was a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

Reviews

[twina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gossh, Erikson really enlightened me about the two-bind concept between economic growth and sustainability. We can't really have both, can we? It's today's contradiction, and it's studying further and incorporating into everyday conversations. This was such a well-rounded read on the global warming topic, covering the causes and various effects of overheating on people, especially in different geographical locations and different economy/social classes.

[Zuza Fialová · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas H. Eriksen napísal skvelú knihu esejí na tému "prehrievania". Je to pohľad na globálne problémy s využitím metafory prehriatia. Vysoká rýchlosť, veľký objem informácií, horúce hlavy, vyhorenie... Energia, jej výroba a spotreba. Migrácia a turizmus - majú niečo spoločné? Prebytok informácií, ktoré nikto nepotrebuje. Zahusťujúce sa mestá, ktoré sa prehrievajú v doslovnom aj prenesenom zmysle. Skvelá je kapitola o odpadoch, z ktorej až mrazí.

Eriksen je antropológ a vidí odpad ako kultúrny odkaz. "Produkcia odpadu je dôsledkom bohatstva a prebytku." Je ale tiež znakom zväčšujúcich sa nerovností. Na planéte je čoraz menej miesta. Niekto vyhadzuje, niekto žije v odpadkoch, ako tichomorskí rybári, niekto žije z odpadkov, ako "skladkoví ludia" v Agbogbloshie, ktorí vyškrabujú kúsky zlata z našich bývalých mobilov...

Čo je však horšie, čoraz viac ľudí sa stáva odpadom. Nikto ich nechce, nie je z nich úžitok. Ich smrť nikoho netrápi. Nehodia sa do globálneho sveta, nemajú zručnosti a silu zapojiť sa do konzumnej ekonomiky. Utečenci, ľudia zo slumov či osád, väzni, ale aj seniori čakajúci v zariadeniach na smrť.

Nechceme ich vidieť, tých "cudzincov pred dverami". Ako povedal Zygmunt Bauman, možno preto, že sa bojíme, že raz skončíme ako oni.

Odpad je výsledkom lineárneho vzťahu na jedno použitie. Vyťažiť, pretvoriť, využiť, zahodiť. Je materiálnym svedkom nášho postoja k svetu, planéte a k sebe navzájom. Nebolo to tu odjakživa. Recyklovať ♻ by sme mali asi najprv seba. Ale to už nehovorí Eriksen :)

Skvelý slovenský preklad: Milan Zvada

[Obeida Takriti · Rating 4 out of 5]

لم يكن ظني في مكانه أن أغلب الكتب الجامعية مضجرة أو نظرية..
هذا الكتاب كغيره من القراءات لمتخصصين في الأنتربولوجيا غيرت رأيي عن الكتب الجامعية..

يتحدث هذا الكتاب عن التسارع الذي نعيشه اليوم من الطاقة، النفايات، المدن، المعلومات، وغيرها من مظاهر الحياة التي لم نعد كبشر نستطيع الإحاطة بها..
ينتقل في شرحه للمشكلة من الإطار النظري أحياناً، إلى العلاقات الدولية، إلى مدن محددة، إلى أشخاص بعينهم ليشرح لك كيف يتجلي التسارع على كل مستوى..

لا أتفق كثيراً مع نظرته التشاؤمية أحياناً..
ولكنه يطرح المواضيع بترتيب منهجي يمنح القارئ الفرصة بأن يستخدم هذه المعلومات والمنهجية بالطريقة التي يريدها..

كتاب مهم خاصة لمن يحاولون فهم العالم بدون اعتمادهم على الأخبار أو تأملاتهم الشخصية فقط..

[Noemi Kuban · Rating 4 out of 5]

nicely supported and very well rounded.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Invece che questa valanga di idiozie, quasi mai supportate da dati riportati, leggete "Factfulness" di Hans Rosling. Non mi dilungo oltre, ho già perso troppo tempo nel leggerlo.

(Imbarazzante che si pensi anche solo di usarlo come testo universitario)

[Marco · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eriksen propone idee interessanti, e il contenuto del libro è in generale recepibile. Tuttavia il modo in cui scrive è pessimo: paragrafi pieni di aneddoti ed esempi sconclusionati, flussi di pensiero sconnessi, tanti pezzi di un puzzle che non si capisce subito come si compongano tra di loro e come vogliano restituire l'immagine generale (l'argomento del capitolo).

Potrebbe essere che sia io a non avere gli strumenti cognitivi per apprezzare quanto scritto, ma quando Diamond espone argomenti altrettanto complessi nel suo Armi, Acciaio e Malattie in modo molto più chiaro, il dubbio è lecito.

La sensazione, condivisa con molti compagni di corso (il libro è stato infatti una lettura incaricata da un professore), è che si potevano dire le stesse, valide cose in un quarto delle pagine, e che Eriksen abbia allungato tutto con esempi inutili per raggiungere un monte pagine richiesto dall'editore.

[Leela Turanga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chvíľu mi trvalo prepnúť sa na akademickú formu, akou je táto kniha písaná. Trochu ťažšie čítanie pre bežného čitateľa (mňa), ale poučné. Fakty, fakty a fakty. Prepojenia, súvislosti. Zdroje na ďalšie zaujímavé knihy, ktoré skoro nie je možné dostať. Mne sa kniha napriek ťažšej čitateľnosti páčila, pretože bola písaná objektívne bez nejakých citových výlevov autora. Hviezdičku z hodnotenia uberám z dôvodu neaktuálnosti údajov. Pôvodné vydanie knihy je totiž z roku 2016 - je 2021, za 5 rokov sa toho dosť zmenilo.

[Enzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il saggio è molto interessante e documentato. Suddiviso in capitoli che affrontano temi attuali scottanti relativi al surriscaldamento globale, riesce a fornire una visione di insieme delle principali problematiche.
È adatto a chi voglia approfondire o approcciare un insieme di temi da un punto di vista culturale e antropologico.

[Hannah Vollebergh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interessant boek over de toename van oa afval, het energieverbruik en mobiliteit vanuit een antropologisch perspectief. Vooral het in- en uitzoomen op schaalniveau is erg interessant om de huidige neoliberalistische processen die voor acceleratie zorgen te begrijpen. Op het laatst wel iets langdradig, maar het concept van 'overheating' wat Eriksen beschrijft zet aan het denken.

[Federico Bonciani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molto tecnico

[Lulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

For someone who is not used to look at the facts it could seem a little negative at first. But that's what an overheated world look like, pretty damn depressing

[Pierfilippo Pierucci · Rating 1 out of 5]

Super semplice e superato. Il riassunto è che c'è una crisi climatica - e i dati non sono più aggiornati.

[Shannon Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

had to read this for a class on globalization. a lot more enjoyable and interesting than i was anticipating.

[Aryadne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molto interessante

[lia ୨୧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lui è molto acuto, mi piace come scrive e come espone i temi. Molto interessante

[Hal]

Focus

[Juraj Púchlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hutný prierez výzvami atropocénu. Od miest, turizmu, migrácie, cez energie, až po otázky životného prostredia a zahltenia informáciami – antropológ Eriksen menuje desiatky autorov a pojmov, ktoré pomáhajú porozumieť globálnym trendom. Antropológia, sociológia a etnológia sú oblasti, ktoré vysvetľujú javy zdanlivo príliš komplexné a škálovateľné, napríklad vnímanie turistov a migrantov. Napokon bol to antropológ, kto opísal šedú zónu ekonomiky a antropológ, kto zadefinoval letiská, hotely a nákupné centrá ako ne-miesta (non-places). Prvýkrát som tu tiež čítal o pojme garbológia, čo je sociologický výskum konzumného správania spoločnosti na podklade analýzy domového odpadu.

[Noah Hedlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Med marginal den mest intressanta och välformulerade bok som universitetet fått mig att läsa än så länge - välskriven och insiktsfull! Eriksen my man asså.