Praise for Catastrophism “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 ofer. 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 “Catastrophism comes at the right moment: 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, James Davis, Sasha Lilley, David McNally, and Eddie Yuen examine the political func- tion of these claims and fnd 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 anticapitalist politics for a politics of absolute fear that inevitably leads to inaction.” —Silvia Federici, author of Revolution at Point Zero: Housework, Reproduction, and Feminist Strugle “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 “At last, and not before time, a full-spectrum guidebook to cata - strophism. Together Lilley, Yuen, Davis, and McNally penetrate the smoke of apocalypse, past the politics of fear and redemption which is the stock-in-trade of disaster merchants—right, left, and green. If we and our fellow species are to leave the dark shadow of John the Divine and Parson Malthus, this superb, clear-eyed collaboration opens the way.” —Iain Boal, coeditor of West of Eden: Communes and Utopia in Northern California “I cannot overstate how critically important this volume is. Catastrophism captures a problem that few have seriously grap- pled with. Anyone who wishes, as I do, for a new kind of (occu- pied) politics will have to face this formidable array of theoreti- cally inspired refections on the politics of apocalypse.” —Andrej Grubačić, author of Don’t Mourn, Balkanize! and co author of Wobblies and Zapatistas: Conversations on Anarchism, Marxism, and Radical History “Apocalypse and end-of-civilization memes are shaping and argu - ably undermining contemporary political and environmental movement organizing. Catastrophism unfinchingly challenges us, as movements, to seek alternatives to these narratives in deter- mining our actions. It’s a must read for anyone engaged in politi- cal organizing for truly long-term sustainable goals and futures.” —scott crow, cofounder of Common Ground Collective and author of Black Flags and Windmills “This is a brilliant, timely book, a searching account of the lim- itations and inertia of catastrophic thinking. The authors urge us to move beyond doom-laden rhetoric in order to generate more ambitious analyses of our social crises. Above all, this book points the way toward fresh, energizing, and imaginative forms of social transformation.” —Rob Nixon, author of Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor “In an age when even Mayan prophecies of the end of the long cycle are turned into prophecies of doom and destruction, this book ofers a reasoned and lucid alternative understanding. Defnitive and momentous, this book should be mandatory read- ing for everyone who wishes to comprehend the world we live in and change it for the better.” —George Katsiafcas, author of Asia’s Unknown Uprisings “Remember the story from La Haine about the guy who fell of a skyscraper? On his way down past each foor, he kept saying to reassure himself, ‘So far so good . so far so good . so far so good. How you fall doesn’t matter. It’s how you land.’ This col- lection of essays compiled in Catastrophism prepares us for that landing. Brilliant reading material for the abyss, and more: how to navigate an escape.” —Ramor Ryan, author of Clandestines and Zapatista Spring “This important book aims to end the politics of The End. The authors of Catastrophism claim that apocalyptic politics, though promising to motivate revolutionary transformation, all too often leads to a fear-induced paralysis and cynicism. This book provides a badly needed boost to our political immunity systems against the apocalyptic claims bombarding us in this purported termi- nal year for our planet.” —George Cafentzis, author of In Letters of Blood and Fire: Work, Machines, and Value in the Bad Infnity of Capitalism Editor: Sasha Lilley Spectre is a series of penetrating and indispensable works of, and about, radical political economy. Spectre lays bare the dark under- belly of politics and economics, publishing outstanding and con- trarian perspectives on the maelstrom of capital—and emanci- patory alternatives—in crisis. The companion Spectre Classics imprint unearths essential works of radical history, political econ- omy, theory and practice, to illuminate the present with brilliant, yet unjustly neglected, ideas from the past. Spectre Greg Albo, Sam Gindin, and Leo Panitch, In and Out of Crisis: The Global Financial Meltdown and Left Alternatives David McNally, Global Slump: The Economics and Politics of Crisis and Resistance Sasha Lilley, Capital and Its Discontents: Conversations with Radical Thinkers in a Time of Tumult Sasha Lilley, David McNally, Eddie Yuen, and James Davis, Catastrophism: The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth Spectre Classics E.P. Thompson, William Morris: Romantic to Revolutionary Catastrophism: The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth Sasha Lilley, David McNally, Eddie Yuen, and James Davis Catastrophism: The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth Sasha Lilley, David McNally, Eddie Yuen, and James Davis © PM Press 2012 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be transmitted by any means without permission in writing from the publisher. ISBN: 978–1–60486–589–9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2012913637 Cover by John Yates/Stealworks Interior design by briandesign 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 PM Press PO Box 23912 Oakland, CA 94623 www.pmpress.org Printed in the USA on recycled paper, by the Employee Owners of Thomson- Shore in Dexter, Michigan. www.thomsonshore.com Published in Canada by Between the Lines 401 Richmond St. W., Studio 277, Toronto, ON M5V 3A8, Canada 1–800–718–7201 www.btlbooks.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be photocopied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of Between the Lines, or (for photocopying in Canada only) Access Copyright, 1 Yonge Street, Suite 1900, Toronto, Ontario, M5E 1E5. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Catastrophism; the apocalyptic politics of collapse and rebirth / Sasha Lilley … [et al.]. Co-published by PM Press. Includes bibliographical references and index. Issued also in electronic format. ISBN 978–1–77113–030–1 1. Catastrophical, The. 2. Political psychology. 3. Expectation (Psychology) I. Lilley, Sasha, 1970– BD375.C37 2012 302’.17 C2012–903603–X Published in the EU by The Merlin Press Ltd. 6 Crane Street Chambers, Crane Street, Pontypool NP4 6ND, Wales www.merlinpress.co.uk ISBN: 978–085036–632–7 Contents foreword Dystopia Is for Losers Doug Henwood ix introduction The Apocalyptic Politics of Collapse and Rebirth Sasha Lilley 1 chapter one The Politics of Failure Have Failed: The Environmental Movement and Catastrophism Eddie Yuen 15 chapter two Great Chaos Under Heaven: Catastrophism and the Left Sasha Lilley 44 chapter three At War with the Future: Catastrophism and the Right James Davis 77 chapter four Land of the Living Dead: Capitalism and the Catastrophes of Everyday Life David McNally 108 Contributors 128 Notes 129 Index 158 FOREWORD Dystopia Is for Losers Doug Henwood when i started writing this, new york city had just come off its second punishing heat wave in three weeks. It broke with vio- lent thunderstorms that prompted fash food warnings from the Weather Service, spiced up with advice to those in low-lying areas to head to higher ground. Not two years ago, we had tornadoes that took down trees all over my neighborhood. Isn’t this sort of thing supposed to happen in Kansas, not Brooklyn? Except that Kansas was in the midst of a huge, crop-destroying drought driving up food prices around the world. The climate crisis has become part of daily life. It’s no longer merely an abstraction of scientists’ computer models—you can feel it when you walk out the door or when you shop for food. But it’s not only climate crisis that’s becoming familiar. As I write this, the fnancial crisis that broke out in the summer of 2007 is about to celebrate yet another birthday. In the United States, the real economy began falling apart less than half a year later. We’ve ofcially been in recovery since mid-2009, but it hardly feels like it to most of us. This is clearly no mere cycli- cal afair, but a deep structural crisis of overindebtedness and profound maldistribution of income. Nor is it an American problem. Although the crisis broke out here, the epicenter has moved to Europe, whose neoliberal strategy centered on the euro project—in no small part an attempt to emulate the American model of looser regulation and “fexible” labor mar- kets—is in collapse.