Book review of "Design, ecology, politics: towards the ecocene" by Joanna Boehnert (2018). Bloomsbury Academic.

Abstract

Design, Ecology, Politics: Towards the Ecocene is a must-read for any communication design educator or practitioner concerned with the deleterious effects of the Anthropocene (or its critical counterpart the Capitalocene), which names the current geological era marked by human dominance over environmental processes. In this book, Dr. Joanna Boehnert deftly incorporates ecological thinking into design pedagogy to articulate a path forward for a new era of human-environment relations built on cooperation rather than exploitation. Existential threats abound in a modern era built on endless consumption and production cycles driven by market logic. For too long, designers have tacitly participated in the destructive tendencies of the neoliberal political project by convincing themselves and others that their work is neutral. This book is a wake-up call that highlights the role that design has played in constructing the precarious conditions of the modern world and, more importantly, the role designers could play in charting a way out of the mess humanity has made.