Refusing Resilience

A Google search for the strategy brings up a color-blocked website emblazoned with a trio of "empowering" soundbite colloquialisms: ADAPT TO THRIVE; CONNECT TO OPPORTUNITY; TRANSFORM CITY SYSTEMS. A closer look at the strategy reveals more of the same jargon, only in longer format and with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Esse 2023-04, Vol.108, p.8-4
Main Author: Lewis, Kristen
Format: Article
Language:eng ; fre
Subjects:
Capitalism
Catastrophes
Terminology
Websites
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:A Google search for the strategy brings up a color-blocked website emblazoned with a trio of "empowering" soundbite colloquialisms: ADAPT TO THRIVE; CONNECT TO OPPORTUNITY; TRANSFORM CITY SYSTEMS. A closer look at the strategy reveals more of the same jargon, only in longer format and with more motivational subheadings. On each page, "resilience" is transformed into "resilience value," with environmental and social existence palatably quantified to satisfy donors and "protect critical economic assets." This discursive tactic is a symptom of what political theorist Naomi Klein calls disaster capitalism, a political strategy that pushes neo-liberal policies in the aftermath of a shocking catastrophe.
ISSN:0831-859X
1929-3577