Join Sasha Lilleyand Jay Kinney for an event and conversation on
Catastrophism:The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth.
Catastrophism:The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth 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, Yuen, Davis, and David McNally, 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.
“Catastrophism comes at the right moment: 2012, the year of The End
proclaimed across the political spectrum from deep ecologists to the Mayan
Calendarists. Instead of concentrating on the merits of the claims of the
various apocalypticians, Jim Davis, Sasha Lilley, David McNally, and Eddie
Yuen examine the political function of these claims and find them to be
deeply reactionary. This is a controversial book that challenges many of
the unexamined assumptions on the left (as well as on the right). It is a
warning not to abandon everyday anti-capitalist politics for a politics of
absolute fear that inevitably leads to inaction.” —Silvia Federici, author of Revolution at Point Zero
"Here you have it, a forceful rejection of that gleeful, adolescent
paranoia that masquerades as hardcore realism. As the essays in this
excellent book show, ‘catastrophism’ is a wish expressed as a fear, a
masochistic cop-out that postures as bravery. Welcoming the end of the
world as the catalyst of political deliverance is one of the most
irresponsible positions on offer. This book is a superb antidote to the
unproductive politics of fear.” —Christian Parenti, author of Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence
“Bravo! This is the book that has been sorely needed for so long to reveal the dead-end that a politics founded on catastrophic predictions must lead to in terms of either preventing them or actually changing the world. Essential reading for all those on the left who are concerned with the question of strategy today.” —Leo Panitch, coauthor of The Making of Global Capitalism and In and Out of Crisis
About Jay Kinney :
Jay Kinney was an active participant in the underground comics movement from 1968 through the ’70s and into the ’80s. He co-founded the romance comic satire, Young Lust, founded and edited Anarchy Comics, and contributed to numerous other comics. He served as editor of Whole Earth’s CoEvolution Quarterly before founding Gnosis: A Journal of the Western Inner Traditions. His other books have included: Hidden Wisdom, The Inner West, and The Masonic Myth. He recently contributed a chapter on the underground comics movement to Ten Years that Shook the City: San Francisco 1968–1978 (City Lights). He is most recently the editor of the recently released
Anarchy Comics: The Complete Collection
from PM Press.
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