The Nature of Spectacle

On Images, Money, and Conserving Capitalism

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Public Policy, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book The Nature of Spectacle by Jim Igoe, University of Arizona Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jim Igoe ISBN: 9780816537549
Publisher: University of Arizona Press Publication: September 12, 2017
Imprint: University of Arizona Press Language: English
Author: Jim Igoe
ISBN: 9780816537549
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Publication: September 12, 2017
Imprint: University of Arizona Press
Language: English

Today crisis appears to be the normal order of things. We seem to be turning in widening gyres of economic failure, species extinction, resource scarcity, war, and climate change. These crises are interconnected ecologically, economically, and politically. Just as importantly, they are connected—and disconnected—in our imaginations. Public imaginations are possibly the most important stage on which crises are played out, for these views determine how the problems are perceived and what solutions are offered.

In The Nature of Spectacle, Jim Igoe embarks on multifaceted explorations of how we imagine nature and how nature shapes our imaginations. The book traces spectacular productions of imagined nature across time and space—from African nature tourism to transnational policy events to green consumer appeals in which the push of a virtual button appears to initiate a chain of events resulting in the protection of polar bears in the Arctic or jaguars in the Amazon rainforest. These explorations illuminate the often surprising intersections of consumerism, entertainment, and environmental policy. They show how these intersections figure in a strengthening and problematic policy consensus in which economic growth and ecosystem health are cast as mutually necessitating conditions. They also take seriously the potential of these intersections and how they may facilitate other alignments and imaginings that may become the basis of alternatives to our current socioecological predicaments.
 

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Today crisis appears to be the normal order of things. We seem to be turning in widening gyres of economic failure, species extinction, resource scarcity, war, and climate change. These crises are interconnected ecologically, economically, and politically. Just as importantly, they are connected—and disconnected—in our imaginations. Public imaginations are possibly the most important stage on which crises are played out, for these views determine how the problems are perceived and what solutions are offered.

In The Nature of Spectacle, Jim Igoe embarks on multifaceted explorations of how we imagine nature and how nature shapes our imaginations. The book traces spectacular productions of imagined nature across time and space—from African nature tourism to transnational policy events to green consumer appeals in which the push of a virtual button appears to initiate a chain of events resulting in the protection of polar bears in the Arctic or jaguars in the Amazon rainforest. These explorations illuminate the often surprising intersections of consumerism, entertainment, and environmental policy. They show how these intersections figure in a strengthening and problematic policy consensus in which economic growth and ecosystem health are cast as mutually necessitating conditions. They also take seriously the potential of these intersections and how they may facilitate other alignments and imaginings that may become the basis of alternatives to our current socioecological predicaments.
 

More books from University of Arizona Press

Cover of the book Canyon by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book Revolt by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book The Ancient Maya Marketplace by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book California by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book Moral Ecology of a Forest by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book A Pima Remembers by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book Soul Over Lightning by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book George Hunt by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book Red Medicine by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book The Road to Mount Lemmon by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book Claiming Home, Shaping Community by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book Raza Studies by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book Divided Waters by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book Mogollon Culture in the Forestdale Valley, East-Central Arizona by Jim Igoe
Cover of the book Dining at the Lineman's Shack by Jim Igoe
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy