On the Emergence of an Ecological Class
A Memo
1. Edition November 2022
92 Pages, Hardcover
General Reading
Short Description
Under what conditions could ecology, instead of being one cluster of movements among others, organise politics around an agenda and a set of beliefs? Can ecology aspire to define the political horizon in the way that liberalism, socialism, conservatism and other political ideologies have done at various times and places? What can ecology learn from history about how new political movements emerge, and how they win the struggle for ideas long before they translate their ideas into parties and elections?
In this short text, consisting of seventy-six talking points, Bruno Latour and Nikolaj Schultz argue that if the ecological movement is to gain ideological consistency and autonomy it must offer a political narrative that recognises, embraces and effectively represents its project in terms of social conflict. Political ecology must accept that it brings along division. It must provide a convincing cartography of the conflicts it generates and, based on this, it must try to define a common horizon of collective action. In order to represent and describe these conflicts, Latour and Schultz propose to reuse the old notions of 'class' and 'class struggle', albeit infused with a new meaning in line with the ecological concerns of our New Climate Regime. Advancing the idea of a new ecological class, assembled by its collective interests in fighting the logic of production and safeguarding our planet's conditions of habitability, they ask: how can a proud and self-aware ecological class emerge and take effective action to shape our collective future?
Under what conditions could ecology, instead of being one cluster of movements among others, organise politics around an agenda and a set of beliefs? Can ecology aspire to define the political horizon in the way that liberalism, socialism, conservatism and other political ideologies have done at various times and places? What can ecology learn from history about how new political movements emerge, and how they win the struggle for ideas long before they translate their ideas into parties and elections?
In this short text, consisting of seventy-six talking points, Bruno Latour and Nikolaj Schultz argue that if the ecological movement is to gain ideological consistency and autonomy it must offer a political narrative that recognises, embraces and effectively represents its project in terms of social conflict. Political ecology must accept that it brings along division. It must provide a convincing cartography of the conflicts it generates and, based on this, it must try to define a common horizon of collective action. In order to represent and describe these conflicts, Latour and Schultz propose to reuse the old notions of 'class' and 'class struggle', albeit infused with a new meaning in line with the ecological concerns of our New Climate Regime. Advancing the idea of a new ecological class, assembled by its collective interests in fighting the logic of production and safeguarding our planet's conditions of habitability, they ask: how can a proud and self-aware ecological class emerge and take effective action to shape our collective future?
II: A prodigious extension of materialism
III: The great turnaround
IV: A class that's legitimate again
V: A misalignment of affects
VI: A different sense of history in a different cosmos
VII: The ecological class is potentially in the majority
VIII: The indispensable and too often abandoned battle of ideas
IX: Winning power, but what kind?
X: Filling the emptiness of the public space from below
--Jeremy Harding, London Review of Books
"sharp-witted, refreshing, and deeply convincing"
--Modern Times Review
"this readable little book includes a number of relevant questions and insights"
--The Ecologist
"An insightful and timely political 'memo' addressed to all sensitive humans."
--Counterpunch
"This short book contains just 76 paragraphs, but each one packs a punch. Written with style and wit"
--The Revelator
Praise for the French edition:
"A visionary ecology...in this book, which is as incisive as it is inspiring, Bruno Latour and Nikolaj Schultz assign a political dimension to ecology."
--La Croix
"A guidebook for terrestrials... a book which will no doubt proudly revive the political struggle."
--Le Monde
"An arresting and incisive text."
--Télérama
"This Memo could inspire a whole new generation."
--La Vie
"A stimulating essay which is as concise as it is prescient, which helps us to rethink contemporary ecology."
--Blast
"Interesting and deserving of being widely discussed."
--L'anticapitaliste
"Ecologists from around the world, jump into action!"
--Nonfiction
"A new and stimulating book... its punchy prose is a tonic which will line the spirit with goodwill and give rise to new affective dimensions."
--L'ADN
"Better than Marx."
--L'AntiÉditiorial
"This book must be passed round and read urgently."
--COMBAT
Praise for the German edition:
"The authors reach an important climax in their search for a positive ecology, and many of their discussion points are worthy of reflection."
--Neue Zürcher Zeitung
"Latour and Schultz's book On the Emergence of an Ecological Class - a Memo is a manifesto and guide, and one of the most important books of our time, clarifying and showing us the way forward.
--Der Tagesspiegel
"This short text is the pinnacle of recently-deceased philosopher Bruno Latour's political-ecological project, which encompassed many years' work."
--Frankfurter Rundschau
"This ecological manifesto never loses sight of the need for literary edification."
--Berliner Zeitung
Nikolaj Schultz is a sociologist and PhD candidate at the University of Copenhagen.
