Reactionary States of Mind as the Holocene Ends

ABSTRACT

Modernity’s foundational belief in progress is periodically shaken by crises for which there seem to be no obvious solution. In such times of profound uncertainty, society may be subject to a veritable plague of toxic feelings and fantasies which fuel various forms of political reaction. In their attempts to understand this phenomenon, scholars have been drawn to an examination of ressentiment. This refers to a complex of feelings revolving around suppressed grievance which was first identified over a century ago by Frederick Nietzsche and Max Scheler. This article draws on both psychoanalysis and social theory to deepen our understanding of ressentiment. In highlighting some important differences between the authoritarian and totalitarian state of mind, it situates the recent return of the former in the context of the deepening climate crisis and the ecological austerity that is following in its wake.

KEYWORDS:

• Ressentiment
• modernity
• uncertainty
• climate crisis
• nationalism
• political reaction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paul Hoggett

Paul Hoggett, BA, is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy at the UWE, Bristol, and co-founder of the Climate Psychology Alliance.