In the present moment, humans appear determined to demonstrate that they can be profoundly destructive. They have done so in the past as well, but the level of contemporary destruction seems particularly devastating, threatening the very conditions that enable life on the planet as we know it. This current environmental destruction caused by humans often overlaps with destruction caused by non-human agents. For example, tsunamis hit people hardest where mangroves have been previously destroyed. It also poses thorny questions of blame and justice as the havoc wreaked on livelihoods is often attributed to colonial extraction, capitalist political economy and intersecting inequalities. As applicable and important as environmental experiences of destruction are, this workshop not only builds on but also goes beyond them. Inspired by Joseph Schumpeter’s notion of “creative destruction”, which attaches positive value to destruction as a necessary means for economic development, we are interested in circumstances and traditions that deem destruction desirable, necessary or might have humanitarian intentions (e.g. when fighting viruses). We ask about the ideologies of destruction and the (Western and non-Western) cosmologies in which they might be embedded. This also includes cases in which the visibility of destruction is central for its public relevance entailing the investment of considerable ideological labour to downplay or conceal destruction. We envision our workshop to have a strong focus on conceptual discussion that implies exploring how destruction differs from similar concepts, such as disruption, decay or devastation; and we ask in which contexts they are used and to what effect. A major concern of the workshop is also to reflect how destruction can be explored ethnographically discussing which challenges anthropologists encounter during fieldwork. Where are the limits of ethnographic methods and is participant observation possible at all if one studies destruction? Such provocative methodological questions – along with conceptual ones – represent possible starting points for papers presented at the workshop.
To participate in this on-site workshop, please send an abstract of 300 words and a short biographical sketch to martin.slama(at)oeaw.ac.at by 2nd November 2025.
Limited funding for supporting workshop participation will be available. Please indicate whether you will need financial support to participate in the workshop. Priority will be given to junior colleagues and scholars in precarious working arrangements.