New Books in Critical Theory

Ståle Holgersen, "Against the Crisis: Economy and Ecology in a Burning World" (Verso, 2024)

Apr 9, 2025

Ståle Holgersen, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at Stockholm University, dives into the profound interconnection between economic and ecological crises under capitalism. He argues these crises are not anomalies but central to capitalism’s operation. Holgersen critiques common views on crises, stressing they reinforce the status quo rather than present opportunities for change. He also discusses the socio-economic disparities highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic and advocates for ecosocialism, challenging listeners to envision a historical exception to ongoing turmoil.

54:50

Episode guests

Ståle Holgersen

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Quick takeaways

The podcast highlights the interconnectedness of economic and ecological crises as essential features of capitalism, challenging narratives that treat them as separate issues.

It stresses the importance of understanding crisis definitions to avoid confusion in discourse, emphasizing historical context and the need for systemic accountability.

Deep dives

Interconnection of Economic and Ecological Crises

The discussion emphasizes the profound interconnection between economic and ecological crises as manifestations of capitalism's inherent contradictions. Economic crises, historically marked by systemic fluctuations, are increasingly intertwined with climate challenges, suggesting that both phenomena stem from the same capitalist structures. This connection challenges common narratives that view these crises as separate, highlighting a need for a unified analysis that considers their joint implications for society. The speaker contends that unlike past economic downturns that may have dissipated, ecological crises pose an ongoing, all-consuming threat that is largely ignored by those in power.

Intro

4min

Navigating Crises: A Scholarly Perspective

10min

Marx's Evolving View on Economic Crises

5min

Capitalism and the Climate Crisis

14min

Inequality in Crisis: COVID-19 and Climate Responses

5min

Crises, Capitalism, and Change

12min

Understanding the Audience for Economic and Ecological Crisis

2min

In Against the Crisis: Economy and Ecology in a Burning World (Verso, 2024), Ståle Holgersen develops a conceptualization of 'crisis' that moves beyond simplistic understandings of societal turbulence or even disaster, arguing that crises have come to mean something very specific. Where previous analyses have treated economic and ecological crises as separate phenomena, Holgersen reveals their profound interconnection within capitalism's contradictions. Central to the book is the idea that both economic and climate crises are crises of capitalism specifically, and the powers that be are not willing to acknowledge it.

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.

About the Author:

Ståle Holgersen is a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at Stockholm 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.

About the Host:

Stuti Roy has recently graduated with an MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies from the University of Oxford. She has a BA in Political Science from the University of Toronto.

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