Against the Anthropocene: Visual Culture and Environment Today

by T.J. Demos

Against the Anthropocene scrutinizes the proposal that we are in a human-driven epoch regarding climate change. In this slender but dense volume, cultural theorist T.J. Demos analyzes the biases within contemporary visual culture popular science websites, remote sensing and SatNav imagery, eco-activist mobilizations, and experimental artistic projects demonstrating that it does not merely describe a geologic period, but actively supports the neoliberal financialization of nature, anthropocentric political economy, and endorsement of geo-engineering as a preferred method of approaching climate change. To develop creative alternatives, Demos argues we need to carefully consider the underlying motives the Anthropocene thesis. T.J. Demos is Professor of Art and Visual Culture and Director of the Center for Creative Ecologies at UC Santa Cruz. Past publications with Sternberg Press include Decolonizing Nature and Return To The Postcolony.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Philosophy, Politics, Science, Geography, Environment

132 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

T. J. Demos is an award-winning writer on contemporary art, global politics, and ecology. He is Professor in the Department of the History of Art and Visual Culture, at University of California, Santa Cruz, and Founder and Director of its Center for Creative Ecologies. He writes widely on the intersection of contemporary art, global politics, and ecology, and his essays have appeared in magazines, journals, and catalogues worldwide. His published work centers broadly on the conjunction of art and politics, examining the ability of artistic practice to invent innovative and experimental strategies that challenge dominant social, political, and economic conventions.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for class! Against the Anthropocene is a wonderful primer to the issue of how the Anthropocene is represented in culture (especially visually), which argues this representation is contributing to our inability to actually make the changes needed because it displaces the blame / fails to identify the root cause of climate disaster (surprise, surprise: the root cause is capitalism).

I wish some sections went into more depth, and I did not love most of the alternative names suggested for the Anthropocene (EX: 'the Plantationocene'?? I take the point that plantations are representative of a lot of the structural issues behind our current environmental circumstances and there are useful analogies there, but a) that is a very American-centric name for a global issue and b) seems pretty reductive) -- but overall, an interesting and quick read that also introduces many other authors / thought leadership in the sustainability realm.

[Seán Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This got a bit odd towards the end but overall it was a very interesting read and it was a great start to my thesis research

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kudos to Demos for doing exactly what an academic text aimed at the popular reader should do––provide a clear, concise, incredibly readable introduction that defines its terminology and effectively explains a lot of the environmental & theoretical stakes in ways non-experts can understand. Unlike other texts I've read on the Anthropocene, there was no verbal obfuscation or academic posturing, and I finished it in almost one sitting. I'm not totally sold on all the ideas/projects in the last chapter, and to be fair I am no expert on the content, but in general, I learned a lot, and I really appreciated his pushback against what I've always considered a vague & somewhat misleading term/concept.

[John Cherkas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a stunning critique of the common ways society chooses to discuss our present environmental catastrophes. In presenting an alternative reaction to catastrophes, Demos makes it clear that our terminology—anthropocene—doesn't fit the reality of the situation. An excellent read on how to direct social and environmental justice movements on a path against the root political and economic causes of the anthropocene.

[Megan]

yes I will shamelessly count this summative book towards my Goodreads challenge bc I am ~~struggling~~

[Vanesa Kosťa B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning arguments and introduction to the phenomenon of Anthropocene.

[Ɐ ɹ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Because the revolt against brutality begins with a revolt against the language that hides that brutality."
—wake up!

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

must read for anyone interested in climate change, environmental justice, or environmental activism