Ins i u ional c i ique, we a e old, was an a is ic end a ising
be ween he six ies and he eigh ies o he o me cen u y. I in ended o
make e iden o a is ic audiences ha he appa en ly neu al space o a
museum o a galle y, usually p esen ed as a whi e, anonymous su ace,
had some hing else behind ha image. Tha some hing was, one can
a gue, e e y hing: om ques ions o a is ic p i ilege and alida ion, o
he economic sys em behind he a wo ld. The a is s o he so called
¿UVWJHQHUDWLRQRILQVWLWXWLRQDOFULWLTXHEHOLHYHGWKDWE UHYHDOLQJWKH
economic and poli ical condi ions ope a ing in a spaces, hey could
ha e a sense o awa eness o he s a egies aking place wi hin he a
wo ld. Some amilia episodes a e a ached o ha mo emen : hink, o
example, on Ma cel B ood hae s’ Musée d´A Mode ne. Dépa emen
des Aigles; o on Hans Haacke´s banned exhibi ion in MOMA and
his amous A Poll ins alla ion (banned by he same museum, by he
way), in which he launched a icky poli ical o ing in ol ing Nelson
Rocke elle . Add Michael Ashe ´s expe imen s wi h he galle y space,
o Daniel Bu en´s public in e en ions in F ance and la e in Los
Angeles, and we will comple e he mos ecognizable amewo k o
ins i u ional c i ique.
Loca ing Human Agency in he An h opocene. En i onmen al
Uni e salism, Na u al Ca as ophes, and he Possibili ies o
C i ique
Uni e sidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Le as, Cen o de Es udos Compa a is as
Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano*
* Ca los Ga ido Cas ellano is unded by Fundação pa a a Ciência e Tecnologia unde
g an SFRH/BDP/92492/2013, o de elop he p ojec “A is ic Cu a o ship and
Di e ence in he Pos colonial Lusophone and Hispanophone A lan ic Con ex s.”
Dedalus: Cul u es o (In)Secu i y | Cul u as de (In)Segu ança
110
Bu ins i u ional c i ique was (is) some hing else1. Think now
on Richa d Long´s, Robe Smi hson´s o Richa d Se a´s in e es
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in e en ions in a bigge scena io, namely he ea h. We a e no mo e in
he ealm o ins i u ional c i ique, one may hink; his is land a ´s mos
ecognizable canon. Tha ´s essen ially ue. The e a e, howe e , many
issues in common, many hings app oaching bo h ini ia i es: some o
hem ha e o do wi h he awa eness o he medium whe e he a wo k is
de eloped, a conce n wi h a is ic and ins i u ional agency o a sense o
unease in ela ion o ex e nal, appa en ly innocuous o ces condi ioning
he a is ic p ocess2. Robe Smi hson saw in he museum´s whi e cube
WKHZRUVWNLQGRIVWUXFWXUHXVHGIRUWKHFRQ¿QHPHQWDQGQHXWUDOL]DWLRQ
o c ea i i y. Fo him, ha space wo ks as a pa icula ly ha m ul and
co osi e kind o asylum o labo a o y, whe e a is s a e elega ed o he
ask o guinea pigs d i en by he needs o cu a o s, collec o s and he
like. Wi hin ha con ex , he e is bu one al e na i e:
Once he wo k o a is o ally neu alized, ine ec i e, abs ac ed, sa e, and
poli ically lobo omized, i is eady o be consumed by socie y. All is educed
o isual odde and anspo able me chandise. Inno a ions a e allowed only i
WKH VXSSRUWWKLVNLQGRIFRQ¿QHPHQW3
His al e na i e was a owdy na u e, one “ ha in e ac s wi h he
physical con adic ions inhe en in na u al o ces as hey a e – na u e
1 See Alexande Albe o and Blake S imson, eds., Ins i u ional C i ique. An
An hology o A is s´ W i ings (Camb idge: MIT P ess, 2009); Ge ald Raunig and
Gene Ray, eds., A and Con empo a y C i ical P ac ice: Rein en ing Ins i u ional
C i ique (London: MayFlyBooks, 2009).
2 Those sha ed poin s we e also e iden in he case o hose a is s, such as Haacke,
who wo ked close o he p e oga i es o concep ual a . Fo a “g een” analysis o
Haacke´s con ibu ion o ins i u ional c i ique, see Luke Sk ebowski, “A e Hans
Haacke. Tue G een o and Eco-Ins i u ional C i ique,” Thi d Tex 27, no. 1 (2013):
115-130.
3 5REHUW6PLWKVRQ³&XOWXUDO&RQ¿QHPHQW´LQIns i u ional C i ique. An An hology
o A is s´ W i ings, ed. Alexande Albe o and Blake S imson (Camb idge: MIT
P ess, 2009), 140.
111
as bo h sunny and s o my.”4 Wi hin ha landscape, he a is – and, by
ex ension, any c ea ing subjec – would no only be mo e exposed o
he imagina i e o ces o he unexpec ed, mo e awa e o he spa ial
FRQGLWLRQVVXUURXQGLQJWKHFUHDWLYHDFW6LQFH³QDWXUHLVQHYHU¿QLVKHG´
she would also be si ua ed a he pe ec spo o dialogue wi h i , o
in e ene in i , ul ima ely o p ojec on o i he c ea i e agency.
Now, wha does all ha ha e o do wi h en i onmen al agency, na u al
ca as ophes and uni e salism, his a icle´s main conce n? In 2000, he
Nobel P ize Paul C u zen and Eugene F. S oe me announced ha we
ha e en e ed a new phase in he li e o ou plane : he An h opocene5.
The e m aimed o designa e a pa icula momen in which humankind
has become a geological o ce. In he An h opocene, ou capaci y o
impac on he ea h has g own o such a le el, ha we ha e come o al e
he en i e landscape in which human ac ion akes place. As opposed
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cons ain s, he An h opocene in oduces a new si ua ion; om now on,
³JOREDOFOLPDWHPD GHSDUWVLJQL¿FDQWO IURPQDWXUDOEHKDYLRUIRUPDQ 
millennia o come.”6 Whe eas majo deba es a e s ill in play abou how
o da e he An h opocene7 o whe he we should iden i y i wi h a new
s age (i seems o be ha i has o do wi h s a ig aphy: ei he we can
ack ha ans o ma ion in he s a ig aphical laye s o ou plane , so
he scien is say, o we will no be able o speak abou a new geological
pe iod8), some kind o consensus exis s on he u gency o posing some
ques ions. And i u ns ou ha many o hose ques ions we e somehow
al eady p esen in he pano ama ou lined abo e.
4 6PLWKVRQ³&XOWXUDO&RQ¿QHPHQW´
5 Paul J. C u zen and Eugene S oe me , “The An h opocene,” Global
Change Newsle e 41 (2000), 17-18. h p://www.igbp.ne /download/18.31
6 18321323470177580001401/NL41.pd . The e m would be u he de eloped by
C u zen wo yea s la e in a new a icle published in Na u e. See Paul J. C u zen,
“Geology o Mankind,” Na u e 415, no. 3 (2002): 23.
6 C u zen, “Geology o Mankind,” 23.
7 See, o example, B uce H. Wilkinson, “Humans as geologic agen s: A deep- ime
pe spec i e,” Geology 33 (2005): 161–164.
8 See Jan Zalasiewicz e al., “A e we li ing now in he An h opocene?” GSAToday
18 (2008): 4-8.
Cas ellano: Loca ing Human Agency in he An h opocene. En i onmen al Uni e salism,
Na u al Ca as ophes, and he Possibili ies o C i ique
Dedalus: Cul u es o (In)Secu i y | Cul u as de (In)Segu ança
112
Suddenly, all he d eams, dange s and wo ies, o Smi hson, Long,
and many o he s became ma e ialized. The An h opocene placed
human ac ion wi hin a new dimension, posing una oidable ques ions
conce ning secu i y, agency, esponsibili y, and isk managemen .
Fa om being a neu al e ain, he “equali y” and “p oximi y” i
calls o canno be unde s ood as an absolu e, non-his o ical, non-
geog aphical eali y. Fo Haacke and his gene a ion, a decisi e u n
would come by disco e ing and exposing he limi ing ac o s ope a ing
in ins i u ional spaces. Howe e , when ying o accomplish ha ask, a
majo con adic ion appea ed h ough he capaci y o he a ins i u ion
o swallow c i ique and o “na u alize” i , o downplay i o ole able
le els and o use i o o he means. Doesn´ some hing simila happen
when we de e he agency and he esponsibili y on en i onmen al
issues? When we conside ou p edicamen as pa o a ague “global”
agency? Some hing simila happens wi h esponsibili y. O cou se,
he e is enough e idence o he impac o ou oo p in in he plane ,
and I do no in end o deny i . No do I wan o compa e he anxie ies
o ins i u ional c i ique abou he awa eness o he a is ic medium wi h
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on he An h opocene. I I ha e dug ou some o he majo wo ies o
ins i u ional c i ique, i is because I do hink ha some o hese issues
can help us unde s and he human consequences and he geopoli ical
adminis a ion aking place wi hin he An h opocene.
Howe e , he space in which we ope a e o e u ns by a ha o he
museum o he a ins i u ion. The global scale in which each human
ac ion emains o now on en angled is pa icula ly da ing. As Dipesh
Chak aba y pu s i , o hink o humankind as a geological, and no
me ely biological, agen is o “scale up ou imagina ion o he human.”9
The heo iza ion o he An h opocene implies many hings, bu among
hose he e is a sense o icini y, o p oximi y, ha o ces us o e hink ou
posi ion wi hin he wo ld in a new way, one a en i e o he con inui ies
and disa angemen s wi h o me spa ial impe ial imagina ions10. Pu
9 Dipesh Chak aba y, “The Clima e o His o y. Fou Theses,” C i ical Inqui y 35
(2009): 206.
10 See Simon Dalby, En i onmen al Secu i y (Minneapolis: Uni e si y o Minneso a
P ess, 2002).
113
in ano he wo ds; no ma e whe he can we iden i y a new pe iod
in s a ig aphic e ms, he An h opocene poin s o a new spa ial
dis ibu ion, a “mo e global, mo e uni e sal” geopoli ics. Howe e , i
is clea ha impo an inequali ies s ill pe sis s: some e i o ies ge he
EHQH¿WRIJOREDOL]DWLRQDQGJOREDOH[FKDQJHVDQGVRPHRWKHUVKDYHWR
cope wi h pollu ion, o e popula ion and wa s on esou ces, which a e
s ongly linked o impe ial powe 11. I is possible o ou line a c i ique
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models” o imaging and unde s anding he his o y o ou plane and
pa icula ly ou mos ecen con ibu ions o ha his o y?12 I so, wha
a e he bes e ms o ame i ? Is ha uni e sal scale a condi ion sine qua
non o any unde s anding o ou p esen ? Who is he uni e sal “we” in
he An h opocene? Whose agencies a e in play? Whi he ?
This a icle´s main conce n is wi h he ela ion be ween
en i onmen , uni e salism and c i ique13. My cen al hypo hesis is ha
he imagining o a global landscape o sha ed esponsibili ies somehow
occludes he exis ence o dissimila i ies and inequali ies ope a ing a
di e en le els and composing an al e na i e ca og aphy. Too o en
ou en i onmen al agency has been linked wi h economic and cul u al
globaliza ion; howe e , I will a gue ha none o hose phenomena
can be unde s ood as uni o m, a-ideological eali ies. On he con a y,
he e is a di ec co ela ion be ween he image we ha e o ou posi ion
wi hin he wo ld and ou ela ion wi h na u e and he en i onmen , and
11 A good example o ha dis ibu ion in he classic wo k o Mike Da is, Plane o
Slums (London and New Yo k: Ve so, 2006).
12 Indeed, some in e es ing answe s o hose ques ions ha e al eady been o e ed.
A c i ical o e iew, close o ou objec i es in his a icle, can be ound in Simon
Dalby, “An h opocene Geopoli ics: Globalisa ion, Empi e, En i onmen and
C i ique,” Geog aphy Compass, no.1 (2007): 103-118. Al hough I will echo he
ema ks posed by Dalby and Chak aba y, he ideological and iconological elemen
WKDWFRQVWLWXWHVP PDLQFRQFHUQKHUHGLVWDQFHVWKLVDUWLFOHIURPERWKUHÀHFWLRQVRQ
he An h opocene.
13 The in e es in he ela ion be ween en i onmen al issues and uni e sal his o y
has expe ienced an exponen ial g ow h in he las h ee decades. A summa y
o ha de elopmen can be ound in S e ke Sö lin, “The Con empo anei y o
En i onmen al his o y: Nego ia ing Schola ship, Use ul His o y, and he New
Human Condi ion,” Jou nal o Con empo a y His o y 46, no. 3 (2011): 610-630.
Cas ellano: Loca ing Human Agency in he An h opocene. En i onmen al Uni e salism,
Na u al Ca as ophes, and he Possibili ies o C i ique

Dedalus: Cul u es o (In)Secu i y | Cul u as de (In)Segu ança
114
he geopoli ical dis ibu ions lying unde he uni o m appea ance o
ou global eali y14. As he geog aphy o globaliza ion o e laps wi h
he geog aphy o impe ial dominance and pos colonial esis ance,
some hing simila happens wi h he “geog aphy” o he An h opocene.
The e is, in o he wo ds, no hing “mo e poli ical”, no hing mo e
a ached o complex geopoli ical dis ibu ions o secu i y, go e nabili y
and eedom, ha ou supposedly homogeneous geological agency. Ou
p edicamen conce ning ou en i onmen al p esen is no jus ou da ed
o incomple e; a he , “ ha being ou da ed o incomple e” unc ions in
many cases as a key elemen o gene a e and loca e esponsibili ies and
o silence inequali ies. A quick look a he isual economy o na u al
ca as ophes will e eal i 15. E en mo e, he ac o concei ing ou sel es
as a “species”, as a geological agen , canno be aken o g an ed; i has
o be seen as a complex asse e a ion ha is ideologically cha ged. I
will deal mos ly, hen, wi h he images o he An h opocene, bu ha
implies bo h “ma e ial” and men al images. Fa om being a passi e
ep esen a ion o a gi en s a e o hings, he concep s and images we
XVHWRGH¿QHRXUUHDOLW SOD DQDFWLYHUROHKLGLQJRUPDNLQJYLVLEOH
ce ain e en s, na u alizing o making cul u al ce ain phenomena. By
discussing keys one con ibu ions on en i onmen al issues such as
Ul ick Beck´s Risk Socie y and Dipesh Chak aba y´s analysis o he
An h opocene, I in end o disclose wha ´s behind he s ill landscape o
XQLYHUVDOLVPWKDWSUHVLGHVPDQ WKHRUHWLFDODQGVFLHQWL¿FIUDPHZRUNV
Whe eas ou global p esen may show ha “we li e close o each o he ”
han e e , he e s ill exis pe sis en -ye -no-always-e iden poli ical and
social dis ibu ions ha should no be dismissed unde any uni e sal
plea. I will be necessa y o hink wha ´s exac ly “ he human in he
An h opocene”16³7KH³]HUROHYHORILGHRORJ ´äLåHNDUJXHV³FRQVLVWV
14 Dalby, “An h opocene Geopoli ics”, 107-108.
15 I use he e ca as ophe and no disas e , ollowing he di e en ia ion o Ben Wisne ,
Pie s Blaikie, Te y Cannon and Ian Da is, A Risk: Na u al Haza ds, People´s
Vulne abili y and Disas e s (London: Rou ledge, 2004). See also F ançois Wal e ,
Ca as ophes. Une his oi e Cul u elle XVIe-XXIe siècle (Pa is: Seuil, 2008); Alessa
Johns, ed., D ead ul Visi a ions. Con on ing Na u al Ca as ophe in he Age o
Enligh enmen (London and New Yo k: Rou ledge, 1999).
16 Dipesh Chak aba y, “Pos colonial s udies and he challenge o clima e change,”
New Li e a y His o y 43, no.1 (2012): 1-18.
115
in (mis)pe cei ing a discu si e o ma ion as an ex a-discu si e ac .”17
Conside ing he An h opocene unde ha pe spec i e may be a good
exe cise. Nicholas Mi zoe de ends ha he An h opocene can be
isualized18. Th oughou his ex I a gue ha his p ocess o imagining
he An h opocene, i s “diaspo a” o any so o disciplines19 – e en o
common language –, conceals some con adic ions and some silences
ha should be aken se iously. To e eal and unde sco e some o hose
will be my main objec i e h oughou his ex .
In o de o do ha my i ine a y is as ollows. Fi s , I will analyze how
en i onmen al issues ha e been inc easingly cha ged wi h a uni e sal,
global dimension, and how he ac o i s supe io scaling has impo an
implica ions o ou unde s anding o human agency. Secondly, I will
app oach he deba es on he An h opocene, seeking o explo e how
ha uni e salism has been amed wi hin a mo e p ecise, pos colonial
pe spec i e. Then I will y o con on ha eali y wi h he images o
na u al ca as ophes and he imagina ion o he An h opocene, seizing
he po en ial o c i ique o unse ling he s abili y o he uni e salis
aspi a ions o some eadings o ou en i onmen al p esen s and u u es.
Uni e sal Risk
Ul ick Beck´s Risk Socie y DULVHV DV RQH RI WKH PRVW LQÀXHQWLDO
heo iza ion o he las decades on uni e sal isk and go e nabili y.
Beck´s hypo hesis is ha he absence o any possible e uge om he
a omic e a on has changed d as ically ou being in he wo ld. Acco ding
o him, a omic con amina ion is he end o he o he s, o any possibili y
RIGH¿QLQJDSROLWLFDORUFXOWXUDORXWVLGHZLWKUHVSHFWWRFDWDVWURSKHV
Tha p ocess also ma ks he beginning o a new mode ni y domina ed
by he globaliza ion o isk. The di e ence be ween he las yea s o
17 6ODYRMäLåHN³7KH6SHFWUHRI,GHRORJ ´LQMapping Ideology, HG6ODYRMäLåHN
(New Yo k: Ve so, 1994), 10.
18 Nicholas Mi zoe , “Visualizing he An h opocene,” Public Cul u e 26, no.2
(2014): 213-232.
19 The no ion o he “diaspo a” o a concep in o he domain o o he disciplines was
used by Roge B ubake e e ing o he diaspo a concep i sel . See Roge B ubake ,
“The Diaspo a Diaspo a,” E hnic and Racial S udies 28, no.1 (2005): 1-19.
Cas ellano: Loca ing Human Agency in he An h opocene. En i onmen al Uni e salism,
Na u al Ca as ophes, and he Possibili ies o C i ique
Dedalus: Cul u es o (In)Secu i y | Cul u as de (In)Segu ança
116
he wen ie h cen u y and o me pe iods o he his o y o mankind
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and human h eads. E e y hing is “in e nal”, e en na u e; isks a e
ab ica ed and managed by socie y, o e aking e en he p oduc ion
o weal h. Fo Beck, he Wes had li ed unde he possibili y o
dis ancing, based on he exis ence o an O he who ge s he side e ec s
o mode niza ion. F om he momen when his cu ain alls, we would
be acing he agambensian ba e li e, a momen in which he s a e o
excep ion and disas e s will acqui e he condi ion o e e yday eali y.
Tha eali y, acco ding o Beck, implies a cons an and bidi ec ional
exchange be ween he na u al and he poli ical:
In smalle o la ge inc emen s – a smog ala m, a oxic spill, e c. – wha hus
eme ges in isk socie y is he poli ical po en ial o ca as ophes. A e ing and
managing hese can include a eo ganiza ion o powe and au ho i y. Risk
socie y is a ca as ophic socie y. In i he excep ional condi ion h ea ens o
become he no m.20
Tha globalized no mali y will inaugu a e a new pe iod connec ed
o he consequences o mode ni y:
The isks and haza ds o oday hus di e in an essen ial way om he
VXSHU¿FLDOO VLPLODURQHVLQWKH0LGGOH$JHVWKURXJKWKHJOREDOQDWXUHRIWKHLU
h ea (people, animals and plan s) and h ough hei mode n causes. They a e
isks o mode niza ion. They a e a wholesale p oduc o indus ializa ion, and a e
V VWHPDWLFDOO LQWHQVL¿HGDVLWEHFRPHVJOREDO21
By conside ing he expansion o isk as a sys emic eac ion,
Beck inse s he pa icula wi hin a new model o globaliza ion ha is
impossible no o join. The dis ibu ion o weal h has been eplaced by
he dis ibu ion o isk. In ac , isk would be pa o ou pos mode n
e hos. In Beck´s analysis i cons i u es some hing no ma e ial, o some
ex en un eal. Fo him, “ he p omise o secu i y g ows wi h he isks
20 Ul ick Beck, Risk Socie y. Towa ds a New Mode ni y (London: Sage, 1992), 24.
21 Ibid., 21.
117
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and c i ical public h ough cosme ic o eal in e en ions in he echno-
economic de elopmen .”22 Howe e , Beck´s idea o a global dis ibu ion
o isk a ises as p oblema ic. The idea o a global isk socie y implies
an une en ansposi ion om ad anced capi alism o isk, in which he
H[LVWHQFHRIPDWHULDOFRQÀLFWVFRQVWLWXWHVDQHJDWLYHFRQGLWLRQLQWKH
ans o ma ion o one model on o ano he . A e he socie ies “wi hou
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in he isk socie y? Beck es ablishes a adical di e ence be ween a Thi d
Wo ld s ill subjec ed o “basic issues” such as su i al and nou ishmen ,
and a Fi s Wo ld in which hose p oblems would no longe be pa o
ou p esen 23. By p ojec ing isk on o ou common u u e as species
and dec eeing i s uni e sali y, Becks cancels any possibili y o agency
(“Ac ion belongs o yes e day anyway”24, he poin s ou ), condemning
mankind o a ha dly desi able u u e. Mo eo e , i isk is e e ywhe e
and no i o y owe s a e possible, hen wha o do? Wha Beck calls
la en seconda y side e ec s a e he esul s o ex e nalizing he cos s
o p og ess in o he la i udes, wi hin and ou side p i ileged coun ies.
Beck´s “new mode ni y” is he e o e no so new, and in any case no
alien o geopoli ical conside a ions. To pay a en ion o he p esence o
impe ial powe s in hose has been he main objec i e o he “social”
in e p e a ions o he An h opocene.
The An h opocene (and he) Pos colonial
The An h opocene became a “ca chy” e m qui e soon, mig a ing
o any so o disciplines, om an h opology o poli ical sciences,
economy, cul u al s udies and e en a and li e a u e. In ha sense, we
can alk abou a “diaspo a” o he An h opocene, simila o he one ha
he own e m “diaspo a” expe ienced by he ea ly 2000s. The e a e, in
ha sense, many “An h opocenes”, no only one. Dipesh Chak aba y´s
is so a he mos in e es ed in complica ing he uni e sal dimension
22 Ibid., 20.
23 Ibid., 27-30.
24 Ibid., 37.
Cas ellano: Loca ing Human Agency in he An h opocene. En i onmen al Uni e salism,
Na u al Ca as ophes, and he Possibili ies o C i ique
Dedalus: Cul u es o (In)Secu i y | Cul u as de (In)Segu ança
124
appa en ly “less uni e sal” di ision. Howe e , a he ligh o he las
decades, one canno deny ha “ hose e en s a e happening”. A e hey?
Na u al ca as ophes a e indissolubly linked o hei pe cep ion
as such. Tha “Die Na u kenn keine Ka as ophen”38 was al eady
known in he eigh een cen u y. Na u al ca as ophes a e indissolubly
a ached o ou cul u al in e p e a ions o hem. They a e dependen o
ou concei ing o hem as e en s, as phenomena suscep ible o being
his o icized. O cou se, ha condi ion is no a ma e o subjec i e
opinion. Na u al ca as ophes happen. Ne e heless, ha asse e a ion
is condi ioned by he weigh and he newness we con e o hose
e en s, and in ha sense “en i onmen al isualiza ions a e poli ical and
poli icized as much as aes he ic and aes he icized.”39 Wha , again, is
new in he geog aphical dis ibu ion o na u al ca as ophes in he e a
o clima e change? A a momen when na u e is no longe “an ou side”
hanks o ou geological agency, he ca as ophic e en opens up a
IHUWLOH¿HOGIRUFULWLTXH
We mus no o ge ha cyclones and hu icanes we e conside ed
as some hing cyclical in many pa s o ou plane . Sandy and Ka ina,
he wo hu icanes ha impac ed hea ily di e en a eas o he S a es,
also had hea y e ec s in he Ca ibbean. The e is, o say i ha way, a
“Ca ibbean” his o y o Sandy and Ka ina, ye ha one is less isible,
less “accoun able as e en ”, less likely o o m pa o he global
imagina y o na u al disas e s o ou e a. Indeed, ha di ision akes
pa also wi hin he same coun y: he image o desola ion and chaos
su ounding pos -Ka ina´s New O leans has no hing o do wi h he
o ganized esponse ollowing “Sandy´s New Yo k”, and he easons o
ha a e ob ious. To a g ea ex en , his has o do wi h he consump ion
o wha has been called “po e y po n”40, wi h he na u aliza ion o
human and na u al chaos in “un uly” and “unde de eloped” a eas o
38 Max F isch, (1979) De Mensch e schein im Holozän: eine E zählung (F ank u :
Suh kamp, 1979), 103, quo ed in Wal e , Ca as ophes, 16.
39 Allison Ca u h and Robe P. Ma zec, “En i onmen al Visualiza ion in he
An h opocene: Technologies, Aes he ics, E hics,” Public Cul u e 73, no. 26/2
(2014): h p://publiccul u e.o g/a icles/ iew/26/2/en i onmen al- isualiza ion-in-
he-an h opocene- echnologies-aes he ics-e hics
40 See T.J. Demos, Re u n o he Pos colony. Spec e s o Colonialism in Con empo a y
A (Be lin: S enbe g, 2013).

125
ou plane . Again, his is no new; e en “ he possibili y o concei ing a
space as a landscape” has impe ial conno a ions, as Mi chell sugges s41.
Agains he same ca as ophe, hen, we ha e o compe ing images: one
o diso de and ine i abili y, ano he o con ol, p omp eac ion and
PDQDJHPHQW:KHUHDVWKH¿UVWRQH³QDWXUDOL]HV´FDWDVWURSKHWKHODWWHU
³FXOWXUDOL]HV´ LW7KLV EHFRPHV HYLGHQW E  OHD¿QJ WKURXJK WKH PDLQ
in e na ional newspape s and by looking a he isual ep esen a ions
o ca as ophe. Bu , one can a gue, a he end o he day images a e jus
ha , images. A e hey?
Jean and John Coma o a gue ha he No h is inhe i ing many
o he haza ds and condi ions o he pos colonial Sou h, in which he
diso de associa ed o colonial e i o ies is gaining momen um in he
legal and social amewo ks o he Wes , ye wi hou losing an au a
o “ espec abili y” aiming o make a di e ence42. Wha is in e es ing
in he Coma o s’ heo iza ion, le ing aside hei ocus on law and
go e nance issues, is ha i in oduces an ideological elemen ha links
and a he same ime explains he pa allel images o c isis, disas e and
managemen . Coma o s´ geopoli ics implies a sense o he “common”,
has uni e sal dimensions. Howe e , unlike Chak aba y´s and o he
social in e p e a ions o he An h opocene, i allows us o explain
how he global esponsibili y and agency linked o clima e change
and geological impac in he plane wo ks. F om ha pe spec i e, he
inco po a ion o na u al ca as ophe wi hin he Ame ican and Eu opean
imagina ies becomes indissolubly linked o he capaci y o dec eeing,
o iden i ying, i as such. Images, hen, a e no passi e ep esen a ions
o a global (dys opian) s a e o hings; hey a e a he same ime agen s
playing a decisi e ole in he An h opocene pos colonial geopoli ics.
Conclusions
Le me go back o a second o he discussions on ins i u ional c i ique.
I a gued a he beginning o his a icle ha one o he main deba es
41 W.J.T. Mi chell, “Impe ial Landscape,” in Landscape and Empi e, ed. W.J.T.
Mi chell (Chicago: The Uni e si y o Chicago P ess, 2002), 5-34.
42 Jean Coma o and John L. Coma o , Theo y om he Sou h. O , How Eu o-
Ame ica is E ol ing Towa ds A ica (Boulde : Pa adigm Books, 2012).
Cas ellano: Loca ing Human Agency in he An h opocene. En i onmen al Uni e salism,
Na u al Ca as ophes, and he Possibili ies o C i ique
Dedalus: Cul u es o (In)Secu i y | Cul u as de (In)Segu ança
126
in ins i u ional p ac ices had o do wi h de-na u alizing he ideological
appa a us o he a cen e . No ma e i some o he p ac ices I men ioned
became “ins i u ionalized” and c i icism became app op ia ed by he
LQVWLWXWLRQ7KHPDLQFRQWULEXWLRQRIWKH¿UVWJHQHUDWLRQVRILQVWLWXWLRQDO
c i ique was decisi e in e ealing ha “space ma e s”, abo e all when
i p e ends o be a neu al con aine . Nowadays ins i u ional c i ique is
being e i alized and e ised. Abo e all, ins i u ional space is no longe
concei ed as a physical con aine , and he opposi ional dynamics o
a is s and audiences a e being pe cei ed in a mo e ela ional way. As
Ame ican a is And ea F ase says ollowing Bou dieu´s heo iza ion
RIWKH¿HOGLQVWLWXWLRQDODWWLWXGHV³WUDS´HYHU RQHPDNLQJLPSRVVLEOH
DQ EUHDNLQJRXWRIWKHLPPHUVLYHHQJXO¿QJV VWHPLFORJLF43. Howe e ,
F ase ´s is no he only upda ing o ins i u ional c i ique´s legacy, and
mo e op imis ic oices a e also joining he deba e. Among hose, a
“way ou ” o “ins i u ional uni e salism” is being amed h ough he
po en iali y o c i ique, placed in many cases ou side he domain o any
LQWHUSUHWDWLRQRILQVWLWXWLRQDOFULWLTXHDVDQDUWLVWLFWUHQGRUVSHFL¿F¿HOG
C i ique, in hose eadings, has o do wi h unde s anding di e en ly he
ideological na u e o he silences p esen in a gi en s a e o hings, wi h
no aking i o g an ed.
In a simila way, hinking he An h opocene and, mo e gene ally,
he consequences o ou enhanced agency o he plane and o us as
species implies hinking he geog aphical and geopoli ical dimensions
o ac ion and esponsibili y ca e ully. In his a icle I ha e ied o a gue
ha he uni e sal dimension o en i onmen al change has ineluc able
social and his o ical conno a ions, and ha hose a e linked o ou
pe cep ion and imagina ion o uni e salism and locali y. Le us be clea
a his poin . We canno be agains uni e salism when conside ing any
social o en i onmen al issue. This would ake us o a conse a i e
pa icula ism, in which only “ou g oup” ma e s. Wha I am calling
LQWKLVWH[WIRULVDVHOIUHÀH[LYHFXULRVLW DERXWWKHFRQGLWLRQVXQGHU
which ou posi ion in he wo ld in ol es a “being wi h”. The “silence”
and “eloquence” o he images o na u al ca as ophe is no only
43 And ea F ase , “F om he C i ique o Ins i u ions o an Ins i u ion o C i ique,”
A o um 44, no.1 (2005): 278-286.
127
DUHÀHFWLRQRIJOREDOL]DWLRQDQGFOLPDWHFKDQJH,WSRLQWVWRDPRUH
complex dis ibu ion wi h pos colonial a ays, as Chak aba y shows.
Howe e , in his wo ds, in on o he en i onmen al c isis p oli e a ing
wi hin he An h opocene he e a e no “li eboa s”. In his ex I ha e ied
o a gue ha he ole o he image wo ks somehow as a kind o li eboa
allowing p ecise and in en ioned uses o key issues ela ed o secu i y,
managemen , isk and go e nabili y. Wha happens wi h he imagina y o
na u al ca as ophe, I hink, is some hing a mo e complex han a di ec
ep esen a ion o a new geological e a. The silence and na u aliza ion
o some ca as ophes is symp oma ic o a deepe di e en ia ion ela ed
o he necessi y o se ing up he ules o ou p esen . Images, Mi chell
a gues, “wan a oice, and a poe ics o enun ia ion”44. Looking a he
imagina y o he An h opocene, we ealize ha some o hem a e mo e
success ul han o he s in pu suing ha goal. Tha success is connec ed
o he e olu ion o impe ial geopoli ics, he e I ag ee wi h Chak aba y.
Bu i is also linked o he pe sis ence o impe ial imagina ion. Hence
he impo ance o c i ique, and he eloquence o na u al ca as ophes.
C i ique poin s a he easiness wi h which some ac s and globalized o
na u alized, a how we “(mis)pe cei [e] a discu si e o ma ion as an
H[WUDGLVFXUVLYHIDFW´LIZHUHPHPEHUäLåHNVZRUGV7KHLPDJLQDU 
o na u al ca as ophes, I ha e ied o show, e eals o be pa icula ly
eloquen a his poin .
Wo ks Ci ed
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Cas ellano: Loca ing Human Agency in he An h opocene. En i onmen al Uni e salism,
Na u al Ca as ophes, and he Possibili ies o C i ique
Dedalus: Cul u es o (In)Secu i y | Cul u as de (In)Segu ança
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Cas ellano: Loca ing Human Agency in he An h opocene. En i onmen al Uni e salism,
Na u al Ca as ophes, and he Possibili ies o C i ique

In oduc ion
Du ing he p esidency o Felipe Calde on in Mexico (2006-2012),
he main issue in his poli ical agenda was o s a a “D ug Wa ” all
o e he coun y o emo e he powe o d ug ca els. A he same ime,
WKHFULPLQDO RUJDQL]DWLRQVZHUH¿JKWLQJDJDLQVW HDFK RWKHUWRFODLP
e i o ies. The incapaci y o he police and a my o main ain o de –
s eng hened by co up ion in public ins i u ions – igge ed a c ime wa e,
e idenced by he inc ease o obbe ies, auds, ex o ions, kidnappings,
mu de s and ‘na co-blockings’1 in se e al s a es. Mon e ey, as one o
he h ee mos impo an ci ies in Mexico, was one o he popula ions
ha we e mos a ec ed due o i s p oximi y o he U.S.A. bo de .
I was because o his ha many ci ies and owns became unsa e, and
ha his opic u ned ou o be popula no only in news, bu also in soap
RSHUDV79VHULHVDQG¿OPV7KHVDWXUDWLRQLQWKHPHGLDDJHQGDLQVSLUHG
he esea ch ha will be pa ly p esen ed in his a icle. The po ayal o
ERWKFULPHVDQGFULPLQDOVGH¿QHVVWHUHRW SHVZLWKLQ0H[LFDQVRFLHW 
which may c ea e o s eng hen s igma iza ion owa ds ce ain mino i ies
and places in ci ies. The s udy ocused on childhood; his was possible
because e en when media was no add essing his opic di ec ly o hem,
child en we e exposed o his in o ma ion (schools cons an ly p ac iced
1 Na co-blockings we e e en s we e ca els would o ganize oad-blocks all o e he
FLW WRSURYRNHFKDRVLQWUDI¿F
Mexican Child en Discussing “The Si ua ion o Insecu i y” in he
Ci y o Mon e ey, Mexico
Uni e sidad de Mon e ey, Mexico
Bea iz Elena Inzunza-Acedo
Dedalus: Cul u es o (In)Secu i y | Cul u as de (In)Segu ança
132
secu i y plans in case he e was a shoo ing nea by), o hey e en played
games aking he ole o ca els (ins ead o cops o hie es).
The ini ial supposi ions we e ha child en’s a i udes would be
be ween wo possible ex eme scena ios: on one hand, hey could
accep /admi e/aspi e c iminal beha io since i was wha soap ope as,
79VHULHV¿OPVDQGYLGHRJDPHVGHSLFWHGRQGHOLQTXHQF WKH PDLQO 
ep esen ed hem as he oes in ac ion ad en u es). On he o he hand,
hey could ha e classis and acis a i udes, because hey we e highly
p omo ed h ough news whe e only lowe class and da k-skinned
c iminals appea ed, as well as only some lowe and middle class
neighbo hoods would equen ly be shown as iolen and unsa e.
Wi hin he me opoli an a ea o Mon e ey (pop. 4+ million), San
Ped o Ga za Ga cia was he municipali y wi h leas iolence denounced
acco ding o he local leading newspape El No e2. I was also he second
highes HDI a e in he coun y, highes income pe capi a in Mexico,
and highes Gini index o he s a e3. The las one measu es he social
inequali y in San Ped o, which is high because o he concen a ion o
uppe class amilies, which con as s wi h he emaining lowe class
esiden s. The poli ical p e e ence is igh wing, and he mayo a he
ime o he esea ch – Mau icio Fe nandez – was known o his ambi ion
o “shield San Ped o om o ganized c ime”, which ela i ely speaking
(compa ed o o he municipali ies o he me opoli an a ea) was mo e
o less achie ed success ully.
Conside ing hese ci cums ances, he supposi ion was ha child en
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municipali y) and mo e by media on his opic, which allowed us o
s udy media p esence on hei cons uc ion o social ep esen a ions o
insecu i y.
Gi en his backg ound, he ques ions ha guided his esea ch
we e how we e child en unde s anding c ime unde his con ex and
c ea ing a i udes; and wha ole played each sou ce o in o ma ion in
2 “Mapa del c imen 2011,” El No e, No embe , 2012, online e sion: h p://
JUXSRUHIRUPDHOQRUWHFRPOLEUHRIÀLQHVPW PDSDV0DSD'HO&ULPHQKWP
3 P og ama de Naciones Unidas pa a el Desa ollo, IDH (2008), P og ama de las
Naciones Unidas pa a el Desa ollo México, accessed Oc obe 1s 2012, www.
undp.o g.mx/IMG/xls/Base_de_da os.xls
133
he cons uc ion o hei social ep esen a ions. This pape will analyze
he pa icipan ’s imagina ies on insecu i y – which is associa ed wi h
delinquency – and how hey nego ia ed o app op ia ed hei meanings
wi h di e en sou ces o in o ma ion.
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ha embodies he p oduc ion and exchange o meanings wi hin a socie y.
This p ocess implies he in e ac ion be ween people who ac i ely
in e p e wha su ounds hem, and hus, make sense o he wo ld.
Conside ing his, indi iduals will cons an ly look o in o ma ion ha
explains o upda es a phenomenon ha is pa o hei eali y.
Fo Casey e al.5, his leads o he s udy o ‘ ep esen a ion’, which is
cen al o media s udies. Things become con using when media p esen s
in o ma ion in a ‘ ealis ic’ gen e, like jou nalism o documen a ies.
Realis ic o no , he e is always a p ocess o ep esen a ion in ol ed.
This means ha e e y ele ision p og am chooses how o c ea e
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e c. The e o e, Gö z6 exho s esea che s in media s udies o measu e
gaps be ween “ eali y” and “media ep esen a ions”, based on he idea
ha he ep esen a ions o ce ain g oups o people o e en s migh be
dis o ed, making way o s e eo ypes.
S e eo yping commonly in ol es he a ibu ion o nega i e ai s o pe sons who a e
di e en om us. This poin s o he ope a ion o powe in he p ocess o s e eo yping
and o i s ole in he exclusion o o he s om he social, symbolic and mo al o de .7
4 S ua Hall, Rep esen a ion: Cul u al Rep esen a ions and Signi ying P ac ices
(London: Sage in Associa ion wi h he Open Uni e si y, 1997), 2.
5 Be nade e Casey e al., Tele ision S udies: The Key Concep s (London:
Rou ledge, 2002).
6 Maya Gö z, Discussion on Doc o al Disse a ion, Telephone in e iew by au ho ,
July 24, 2014.
7 Ch is Ba ke , Cul u al S udies: Theo y and P ac ice. 3 d ed. (Los Angeles, London,
New Delhi, Singapo e: SAGE Publica ions, 2008), 264.
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