Cosimo Schinaia, Routledge, 2025
Against Catastrophism explores catastrophism from multiple vantage points and considers the impact of ongoing crisis on individuals.
Bringing together contributors from psychoanalysis, economics, anthropology, and gastroenterology, this book explores themes including fossil fuel culture, social movements like Extinction Rebellion, the COVID-19 pandemic, media messaging, and the future of food supply chains. By assessing the value of a constant barrage of information about catastrophes and considering the need for a containing environment, the chapters explore how we can avoid endorsing a closed-off vision of the future and instead unlock possibilities. The book concludes with a discussion of optimism, radical hope, and how we can put forward a new narrative on nature.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
“Hope in a Changing World between Individual Creativity and Collective Working Through”
Cosimo Schinaia
CHAPTER 2
“Radical Hope”
Gohar Homayounpour
CHAPTER 3
“A Changing World: Psychoanalysis between Catastrophe and Hope”Alfredo Lombardozzi
CHAPTER 4
“Catastrophic Fossil Culture and Other Desires of Relatedness”
Mauro Van Aken
CHAPTER 5
“Illusory Immunity and Actual Inhumanity”
Ronny Jaffè
CHAPTER 6
“Catastrophe versus Catastrophic Change. Between Psychoanalysis and Art”
Luca Caldironi
CHAPTER 7
“Climate Change and Adolescence: A Dangerous Collusion of internal and External Catastrophe”
Christine Franckx
CHAPTER 8
“Birth is not Destiny”
Orazio Attanasio
CHAPTER 9
“Our Food Future”
Attilio Giacosa
CHAPTER 10
“Pushing Back on Catastrophism: The Case for a New Nature Narrative”
Mark Halle
CHAPTER 11
“Catastrophism and Media Catastrophic Images”
Cosimo Schinai