Governing the end times?: planet politics and the secular eschatology of the anthropocene

This article furthers the debate on the political implications of the Anthropocene – the most recent geological epoch marked by catastrophic environmental change – by engaging it through the lens of political theology. The article starts from the observation that discourses on the Anthropocene and r...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Rothe, Delf (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Sage 2020
Dans: Millennium
Année: 2020, Volume: 48, Numéro: 2, Pages: 143-164
Sujets non-standardisés:B Dégât environnemental
B Science des religions
B Changement climatique
B Religious Studies
B Einflussgröße
B Religion
B Géologie
B Catastrophe environnementale
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Résumé:This article furthers the debate on the political implications of the Anthropocene – the most recent geological epoch marked by catastrophic environmental change – by engaging it through the lens of political theology. The article starts from the observation that discourses on the Anthropocene and related political projects are deeply influenced by a linear temporality and a common orientation towards the threat of the end of time. It distinguishes three competing discourses of the Anthropocene, eco-catastrophism, eco-modernism and planetary realism. The article analyses how these discourses invoke and update key symbols, images, and storylines of Christian political theology. Furthermore, it studies how each discourse mobilises these secularised Christian motifs to promote competing planet political projects. Each of these projects develops a different position towards the unfolding planetary crisis and the related threat of the end of time. Eco-catastrophism calls for a planetary emergency management, eco-modernism promotes ongoing experimentation with the planet, whereas planetary realism translates into what could be called a ‘realpolitik of resilience’. Revealing the Western theological roots of the Anthropocene and planet politics is essential if the emerging literature on the Anthropocene wants to live up to its promise of pluralising and decolonising IR.
Description:Literaturangaben
ISSN:1477-9021
Contient:Enthalten in: Millennium
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0305829819889138