Humanity has never faced so many crises at once - and all of them are interconnected. So, at least, is the argument Matthew Kenner makes in Geohell: Imagining History in the Contemporary World, a philosophical meditation on the 6,000 year evolution of urban cultures that arose out of the origins of agriculture and settlement.
Painting a snapshot of a present gone wrong, Kenner utilizes a broad grasp of history to intricately retrace the past steps that led to what he refers to as our 'metacrisis'. Combining a variety of subdisciplines within the humanities and social sciences and traversing a plethora of forms and eras of human culture, Kenner creates a unique approach for comprehending our greatest social problems. At times frustratingly complex and counterintuitive, the author nevertheless always returns to his rather simple home base: his desire to add to humanity's understanding of itself.
Whether it leaves you repulsed or entranced, you won't see the world the same way once you've journeyed through Geohell.
Painting a snapshot of a present gone wrong, Kenner utilizes a broad grasp of history to intricately retrace the past steps that led to what he refers to as our 'metacrisis'. Combining a variety of subdisciplines within the humanities and social sciences and traversing a plethora of forms and eras of human culture, Kenner creates a unique approach for comprehending our greatest social problems. At times frustratingly complex and counterintuitive, the author nevertheless always returns to his rather simple home base: his desire to add to humanity's understanding of itself.
Whether it leaves you repulsed or entranced, you won't see the world the same way once you've journeyed through Geohell.
