POST-PETROLEUM POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION IN JAMES HOWARD KUNSTLER’S WORLD MADE BY HAND

Year 2024, Volume: 8 Issue: 4, 216 - 228

İsmail Serdar Altaç

Abstract

This paper explores the political limits and opportunities of the post-petroleum society in James Howard Kunstler’s World Made by Hand. This first part of the study outlines the current dependence of modern society on petroleum, the social and political repercussions of this fuel, and the discourses produced as a response to its future. Subsequently, the study demonstrates the disintegration of the U.S. due to absence of oil in the novel, which opens up possibilities of chaos and new political organizations. One of the consequences of the fall of nation-state is the conflicts in urban spaces that are poorly prepared for the post-petroleum era. Another political possibility in the post-petroleum era observed in the novel is refeudalization of some regions. The novel foregrounds that the political vacuum enables certain individuals to seize the political power and become the sole authority. However, the novel also explores the possibility of a more democratic political reconstruction in its depiction of Union Grove. In this regard, the study focuses on political decision-making methods in Union Grove, specifically focusing on the crisis leading to election of the protagonist as the new mayor. In the study, this crisis is evaluated as a natural reaction to the purely representative type of democracy and call for a more participatory type of governance. Within this framework, how the conditions of a world without petroleum pave way for this call is demonstrated. Thus, the paper argues that World Made by Hand offers an optimistic view of post-petroleum society despite the estimated pitfalls.

Keywords

World Made by Hand, Petroleum, Politics, Democracy, Nation-State

JAMES HOWARD KUNSTLER’İN WORLD MADE BY HAND ROMANINDA PETROL SONRASI POLİTİK DÖNÜŞÜM

Abstract

Bu çalışma, James Howard Kunstler’in World Made by Hand adlı romanında petrol sonrası toplumun karşılaşabileceği politik kısıtları ve fırsatları değerlendirir. Çalışmanın ilk kısmı modern toplumun halihazırdaki petrol bağımlılığı, bu yakıtın toplumsal ve politik etkileri ve bu yakıtın geleceğine dair şekillenmiş söylemleri genel hatlarıyla ifade eder. Ardından, çalışma, romanda petrolün yokluğu nedeniyle Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nin parçalanmasını ve bu parçalanmanın da kaos ve yeni politik yapılanma ihtimallerini yarattığını gösterir. Ulus-devletin düşüşünün neticelerinden biri petrol sonrası döneme yeterince hazır olmayan kentlerde meydana gelen çatışmalardır. Romanda petrol-sonrası dönem ile ilgili gözlemlenen başka bir politik ihtimal ise bazı bölgelerin yeniden feodalleşmesidir. Roman, politik boşluk sayesinde bazı bireylerin politik gücü ele geçirdiğini ve tek otorite haline geldiklerini vurgular. Ancak roman, Union Grove tasviri ile daha demokratik bir politik yeniden yapılanma ihtimalini değerlendirir. Bu bağlamda, çalışma Union Grove’daki politik karar alma yöntemlerine, özellikle de ana karakterin yeni belediye başkanı olarak seçilmesi ile sonuçlanan politik krize odaklanır. Çalışmada bu kriz tamamen temsili olan demokrasi tipine doğal bir tepki olarak ve aynı zamanda daha katılımcı bir yönetim şekline çağrı olarak değerlendirilir. Bu bağlamda petrolsüz bir dünyanın koşullarının bu çağrıya nasıl yol açtığı gösterilir. Bu şekilde, bu çalışma, muhtemel tehlikelere rağmen, World Made by Hand romanının iyimser bir petrol sonrası toplum ortaya koyduğunu iddia eder.

Keywords

World Made by Hand, Petrol, Politika, Demokrasi, Ulus-Devlet

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