Table of Contents

Prelude: Myth and the Planetary  1
1. Sociocentrism, the Anthropocene, and the Planetary  15
2. Species Evolution and Cultural Creativity  37
3. Creativity and the Scars of Being  63
4. Distributed Agencies and Bumpy Temporalities  89
5. The Politics of Swarming and the General Strike  121
6. Postcolonial Ecologies, Extinction Events, and Entangled Humanism  151
Postlude: Capitalism and the Planetary  175
Acknowledgments  199
Notes  201
Bibliography  217
Index  225

About the Author

William E. Connolly is Krieger-Eisenhower Professor at Johns Hopkins University where he teaches political theory. He is a former editor of Political Theory and one of the cofounders of Theory & Event. His recent books include The Fragility of Things; A World of Becoming; Capitalism and Christianity, American Style; and Pluralism, all also published by Duke University Press.

Reviews

"... theorists will find plenty to unpack here. Recommended. Graduate students through faculty."
*Choice*

"Connolly’s analysis of planetary calamities and proposal for a politics of swarming merit attention. The book effectively integrates a variety of sources, including from political theory, social theory, philosophy, theology, economics, geology, biology and paleontology, and covers a wide range of topics, reinvigorating discussion regarding not only the current ecological problems, but also what can be done given the prospect of a seemingly apocalyptic future."
*LSE Review of Books*

"Facing the Planetary is a timely book. It underscores what is daily becoming ever more obvious."
 
*Perspectives on Politics*

"William Connolly aspires to make us see our fragile and beautiful planet from the temporal distance the Anthropocene imposes. He does so by plunging, with intellectual courage, theoretical sophistication, and deeply felt appreciation for the human and nonhuman forces that tie human destines to what he calls 'the planetary.'"
*Postmodern Culture*

"Bill Connolly’s Facing the Planetary buzzes with a swarm of innovative concepts, testing both the limits and the creative powers of contemporary political theory to address the fragility of the human condition in the Anthropocene."
*Contemporary Political Theory*