As anthropologists, historians and popular writers fit the complex events of the past into stories that relay morals to the modern world, sometimes details can be overlooked to make a point. Does a civilization collapse or does it merely transform? What role does human resilience play in the shifting structures of a society? Has a society failed if it still has millions of descendants and a rich cultural history?
In Extraenvironmentalist #12 we speak with Patricia McAnany, co-editor of Questioning Collapse which addresses many oversights in the complex narratives conveniently distilled to form the pages of Jared Diamond's Collapse. We discuss some of the issues with the often cited reasons for the collapse of Mayan civilization, including simplifications made in Diamond's writings. How can we identify and classify a civilizational collapse? While many historical examples of rapid societal change may appear to be a collapse, they might just represent a collection of people living in the aftermath of empire.
NOTE: All celebrity voices are purely very poor impersonations and are not meant to be real in any way, shape or form.
// Music (in order of appearance)
Chris Bathgate - No Silver via Chris Bathgate's Website
Oh Land - Wolf and I via Et Musique Pour Tous
RÜFÜS - We Left via FRENCH EXPRESS
Generationals - Greenleaf via Klubb Ace