Vol. 87 (2024): Urbanising Elements
Modern urbanism has traditionally set cities in opposition to natural elements, constructing modernist urban landscapes strictly separated from water, while ignoring and polluting the air and soil. Today, urban societies are once again haunted by the overflows and burning presences of the elements they sought to banish. In the face of ongoing climate crises, social sciences and humanities often treat 'nature' as urbanised, shaped by urban processes rather than in a constant interaction. How can urban anthropology develop a more integral perspective on the situatedinteractions of cities and the elements, one that acknowledges their vitality and agency? An elemental urbanism posits cities as crucial sites in the so-called critical zone, where bodily, conceptual and political attunements to the delicate flows and interdependencies of planetary processes emerge.
Published:
2024-06-05
