Capitalocene

- Entry for the glossary of the Women Writing Architecture platform

Book chapter (2022)

Authors

Eric Crevels Situated Architecture - Architecture and the Built Environment
Research Group
Situated Architecture (Architecture and the Built Environment) (TU Delft)
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Published Date

2022

Language

English

Reuse Rights

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Department

Architecture

Research Group

Situated Architecture

Abstract

The term “Capitalocene” represents a critical attempt to advance from the notion of “Anthropocene”. Popularized by climate change debates, the term Anthropocene describes a geological epoch in which human activity is currently the main driving force behind the global environmental transformation. Its use faces criticism, however, as the term fails to address the discrepancy in the relationships between different human cultures and the biosphere, attributing the phenomenon to a vague, undifferentiated notion of humanity. On the other hand, the idea of capitalocene recognizes that the environmental state of affairs is not a general consequence of human activity, but a specific result of a material culture fostered by the capitalist mode of production, globalized through the mould of Western industrial society. Therefore, it highlights the geopolitical origins of the crisis, as well as its economic nature, demonstrating the asymmetrical powers and the class struggles behind and within environmental conflicts.