Donna Haraway’s Making Kin

In her presentation at Evergreen State College, Donna Haraway discusses the Anthropocene. Anthropocene is a term that describes the geological epoch of when humans are the primary force of climatic, geological, and ecological change.[1] For Haraway, the Anthropocene can be problematic with its human liberal subject focus in an entitled sense of individualism. In other words, humans don't exist independent of our environment. If we are negligent, there could be serious consequences, such as the abuse and loss of resources, or the extinction of species.

In Haraway's presentation, she uses layers of metaphors and comparisons to tell a story. She says that storying is a more powerful and interesting way of communicating. For Haraway, we need situated stories that can be collected and understood—accessible stories. For example, she goes on to say that we are refugees on this planet. Not only that, there is a multi-species refugee crisis. It is interesting she uses the term "refugee" to describe this status when a refugee is often thought to be a person fleeing one land to another for various reasons. We are not fleeing anywhere. She notes, "We are refugees with no refuge."

Another way she uses storytelling is to tell a story of not only the Anthropocene, but also the Capitalocene and Chthulucene. Haraway describes these concepts through storytelling. The Capitalocene is moving from an anthropocentric view of existence to a view that takes in a broad complex network that makes earth not just humankind's planet, but everyone's planet. Yet, it's a destructive process that includes everyone, but in a capitalistic way that collects wealth while distributing the harm unevenly. This could also be thought of as capital accumulation or as Haraway says the Plantationocene. Lastly, she describes the Chthulucene, which is a multispecies approach to existence. She calls for a decentering of the anthropomorphic view in a way that brings each other together in a new network of cooperation. In this epoch, she holds space for both criticism and possibility. Overall, it is through story and stories that she describes these three concepts.

Notes and Citations

[1] Donna Haraway, "Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Plantationocene, Chthulucene: Making Kin," presentation, The Evergreen State College.