An anthropology of impossible futures

Abstract

This guest editorial explores the intricate relationship between anthropology and the concept of impossible futures, focusing on the global push towards electric vehicles (EVs) and the lithium energy assemblage. Drawing inspiration from a lecture by palaeobiologist Mark Williams, a member of the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG), the author reflects on the Anthropocene epoch and the human-caused transformations of the earth. It examines the European Green Deal's impact on the automotive industry, the global struggle for lithium and the paradoxes of green technology investments. It questions the feasibility of the envisioned future, emphasizing the contradictions within global capitalism and the potential futility of climate change mitigation efforts. The author calls for a reorientation in anthropological research, focusing on novel forms of unity, solidarity, justice and interspecies bonds in the face of seemingly impossible conditions. It concludes with a contemplation of anthropology's role in translating and understanding social life in the context of unattainable futures without losing sight of the discipline's contested past and inherent hope.