Catastrophes: a history and theory of an operative concept

Abstract

This volume offers a historical and cultural analysis of catastrophe as a pervasive and operative concept in modern thought and political life. It traces the evolution of catastrophic consciousness from the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, which initiated a shift toward secular and scientific discourses of disaster, through the large-scale technological and political upheavals of the 20th century, including World Wars, industrial accidents, and the Holocaust. The collected essays explore how concepts of risk, security, and exceptional governance (the state of exception) emerged in response to the proliferation of both natural and human-made crises, fundamentally shaping modern institutions such as law, insurance systems, and scientific inquiry. Through studies in philosophy, literature, theology, and the history of science, the volume analyzes how the threat of ultimate collapse—from the Romantic figure of the “Last Man” to contemporary notions of climate change—serves as a constant precondition for social and political mobilization, compelling a continuous re-evaluation of past, present, and future understanding.

– AI-generated abstract.