Geopower: On the states of nature of late capitalism

The article argues that environmental planetary discourses have coalesced into the Anthropocene crisis narrative and reformulated the state of nature apparatus of Western political theory. The Anthropocene, as an ecological state of nature of late capitalism, casts light on the logics of geopower, w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of social theory 2019-08, Vol.22 (3), p.342-363
Main Author: Luisetti, Federico
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Capitalism
Climate change
Ecology
Ecosystems
Mythology
Neoliberalism
Political economy
Political philosophy
Sovereignty
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Summary:The article argues that environmental planetary discourses have coalesced into the Anthropocene crisis narrative and reformulated the state of nature apparatus of Western political theory. The Anthropocene, as an ecological state of nature of late capitalism, casts light on the logics of geopower, which assembles species thinking, a fascination with nonlife and sovereignty, and the imaginary of extinction and mutation. Geopower shifts governmental technologies from human populations and their ‘milieu’ to nonhuman species, energy flows and ecosystems, from political economy and biopower to Earth science and systems ecology. This configuration of power suggests a shift in the neoliberal agenda and imposes the Earth as a political personage, generating threatening political myths and figures of chaos and sovereignty, such as Gaia, Chthulu and Climate Leviathans.
ISSN:1368-4310
1461-7137
DOI:10.1177/1368431018803764