Savage Ecology: War and Geopolitics at the End of the World

by Jairus Victor Grove

Jairus Victor Grove contends that we live in a world made by war. In Savage Ecology he offers an ecological theory of geopolitics that argues that contemporary global crises are better understood when considered within the larger history of international politics. Infusing international relations with the theoretical interventions of fields ranging from new materialism to political theory, Grove shows how political violence is the principal force behind climate change, mass extinction, slavery, genocide, extractive capitalism, and other catastrophes. Grove analyzes a variety of subjects—from improvised explosive devices and drones to artificial intelligence and brain science—to outline how geopolitics is the violent pursuit of a way of living that comes at the expense of others. Pointing out that much of the damage being done to the earth and its inhabitants stems from colonialism, Grove suggests that the Anthropocene may be better described by the term Eurocene . The key to changing the planet's trajectory, Grove proposes, begins by acknowledging both the earth-shaping force of geopolitical violence and the demands apocalypses make for fashioning new ways of living.

Genres: Nonfiction, Ecology, Environment, History, War, Politics

368 pages, Paperback

Published August 16, 2019

Reviews

[Liz Mennitt]

if you ask me what this is about i won’t have an answer tbh. but i enjoyed it and it was interesting

[Boris]

Grove presents an interesting object oriented take on geopolitics and the Anthropocene. After a rather tiring introduction, which seems to have been written more for an in-crowd (already sharing Grove's world vision), Grove gets to work and analyzes the role of 'objects' such as IEDs, blood and brains in contemporary geopolitical warfare. These analyses are particularly strong, as they make use of a wealth of sources and make tangible the value of a non-anthropocentric investigation into war.

[Colin]

I've been trying to get through this for nearly a year now. It's so high-concept and dense that it's really tough slogging for anything but hard shot of espresso, headphones on, full-bore grad school concentration reading. As such, it's hard to really understand or comprehend what place it fills in recommendable literature. There are some really table-slapping points here - drawing a hard line between the military-industrial complex, nihilistic capitalism, and global catastrophic climate change is a very dank topic, and the points where it hits hit hard. But the style and tone are so dripping in jaded academic that it's going to bounce very hard off of anyone who isn't a Northern European technocrat, and I'm left disappointed that this doesn't offer the compelling skewer that I had hoped it would. Maybe I'll try this again some day when I'm older and less depressed.

[Christopher]

Really a 3.5 for me but I rounded up because Im just happy to see books bringing together speculative realist trends, geopolitics, and ecology. My full review can be found here:

https://geotrickster.com/2020/01/01/s...

[Lily Bennion]

Very interesting explanation of the Anthropocene as Eurocene, and the Apocalypse as a state of creative destruction. Sci-fi but make it serious

[Elizabeth OH]

Grove aims to integrate in order to arrive at the Eurocene. His analysis lacks any real efforts at decolonization but his vast theoretical background allows for interesting reading.

[Antonio Vena]

selezione di temi e paradigmi essenziali.

[Rosie K.]

Half the chapters were really concept-heavy and not as relevant to my independent study, but those chapters that were relevant, especially 1-3 and 7, were incredibly well written. Worth the read.

[Ethan Cooper]

Very persuasive despite being perhaps too conceptual

[Sunna Kokkonen]

Highly convicing argument about Anthropocene as a Eurocene, which shifts the attention to the structures to be addressed when making efforts to deconstruct the toxic coil of human-induced planetary crises. The case studies could've explored the effects on the non-human more – looking forward to reading more analysis from Grove!

[Georgia Culley]

An interesting take on the future.