Against the Crisis: Economy and Ecology in a Burning World

by Ståle Holgersen, Steven Cuzner (Translator), Ståle Holgersen (Translator)

Overview

Capitalism produces crises and crises reproduce capitalism. We need an ecosocialist way out

If crisis defines our era, we need a coherent socialist policy in response. Ståle Holgersen delves into today’s economic  and ecological crises to demonstrate that they are not exceptions to an otherwise functioning system but integral to its  operation. It is naive to see these upheavals as opportunities for reform or revolution. They are the bedrock of the status quo. Fortunately, the vicious circle sustaining capitalism is not founded on an iron law. Our historical mission in the face of the climate crisis is to create a historical exception to the rule. It is time for ecosocialism against crisis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781804293829
Publisher:	Verso Books
Publication date:	11/26/2024
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Ståle Holgersen is a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at Örebro University, Sweden. He is a member of two research collectives: the Zetkin Collective (ecosocialist group working on political ecologies of the far right) published White Skin, Black Fuel on Verso in 2021 and Fundament (a housing research collective) published Kris i Bostadsfrågan on Daidalos in 2023. This is his first monograph in English.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction: Crises Are Not Opportunities – They Are the Enemy

1 When the Economy Is Not Healthy...
Economic Crisis
A Century of Crises: In Theory and Reality
Solving a Crisis/Crisis as Solution
2 An Infected Wound
Ecological Crisis
Anthropocene: Th e Crisis of Man?
Not Solving the Climate Crisis
3 Rooted in Capitalism
Five Levels of Abstraction
To Shake and to Stabilise
4 The Class Character of Crises
Losing, Winning and Causing Crises
Crises Are Caused by One Class, but Another
Must Pay the Price
No One Is Punished, but Murder It Remains
5 Creating Crises in Its Image
6 Our Crisis Is Now
The Useless Decade
The Corona Crisis as Social Paroxysm
The Crisis of Neoliberalism, or: Thoughts on How the Crisis Reproduces Capitalism Th is Time
Epilogue: Optimism at the Edge of a Cliff
Ten Thoughts on Socialist Crisis Policy

Index

Editorial Reviews

"The most clarifying dissection of ‘crisis’ as concept and reality to appear in several decades, at the least. As we lurch from one crisis to another, this will be essential reading"
—Andreas Malm, coauthor of Overshoot: How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown

"Sharp, panoramic, and fiercely principled, Against the Crisis is an invaluable guide to a world in which crisis is constantly proclaimed yet too rarely theorized. Ståle Holgerson deftly synthesizes and evaluates decades of Marxist debates about the nature of capitalist crises and updates them for the present age of planetary ecological breakdown, all the while offering acute insights into the stakes of crises for class struggle. Theoretically rich and politically perceptive, Against the Crisis casts a critical eye on oft-made claims—like the idea that crisis will drive capitalist collapse, or that crisis necessarily generates political opportunity—while offering suggestions for how the left might not only address the symptoms of crises but attack their underlying cause. Under capitalism, after all, crises are not the exception but the rule. Against the Crisis is a vital resource for political strategy in our volatile times."
—Alyssa Battistoni, coauthor of A Planet to Win: Why We Need a Green New Deal

"Holgersen's book is therefore more relevant than he may have anticipated when he wrote it."
—Arkiv

"Holgersen’s book is a powerful indictment of capitalism, a system that can never be sustainable, and an insightful argument for ecosocialism as a program for radical change. It is a precious contribution to the unity between labour and ecological movements."
—Michael Löwy, author of Ecosocialism: A Radical Alternative to Capitalist Catastrophe

"The polycrisis is deepening by the day. But what is the crisis exactly? What causes it? Holgersen's new book provides a lucid overview of crisis theories and clearly explains why we have to fight against the crisis of capitalism."
—Kohei Saito, author of Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto

"A highly interesting and well-written book about the crisis we are currently living in."
—Clarte

"The book combines theoretical development at a high level of abstraction with arguments that delve into the core of heated political debates."
—Gnist

"I highly recommend the book to those who want to better understand our crisis-ridden world."
—Internationalen

"A sharp analysis of economy and ecology under capitalism."
—Klassekampen

"I have great respect for the research conducted by the associate professor and definitely recommend it to Marxists."
—Offensiv

"Holgersen has written the book I have been waiting for a long time; a review and discussion of the Marxist theories of crisis that move far beyond the trenches of the war of position."
—Röda Rummet

"An eminently sensible synthesis of the best ideas in recent [ecosocialist] debates."
—Chris Saltmarsh, Ecologist

From the Publisher