Failures of the Imagination
Reckoning with Oil in Venezuelan Cultural Production
Will be published approx. on 7. April 2026
Book
Hardback
376 pages
978-0-8229-4890-2 (ISBN)
Description
Despite the precariousness of an oil-based economy and the polarization of its political culture, there is consensus in Venezuela that climate change is a real threat. But there is a failure of imagination regarding alternatives to an oil-fueled status quo. Elizabeth Barrios examines the ideologies that helped normalize oil production in Venezuela, which further made oil-led development appear to be the only path to prosperity. Anchored in analyses of literature and media from the 1930s to the 2000s, Barrios argues that the creation of post-oil societies is not simply a question of economics or technology; it is a cultural issue that requires engaging the artistic imagination. She connects Latin American literary and film studies, as well as the environmental and energy humanities, to show the ways that traditional frameworks of modern thought have helped render ecological harm invisible.
Reviews / Votes
Failures of the Imagination sets the record straight about how petro-narratives in Venezuela and beyond deform our own understanding of history, space, and nature. It is a timely and urgent call to reevaluate our position in relation not only to an extractivist global economy, but also to the material realities of a planetary ecology upon which it is reliant. -- Sean Nesselrode Moncada, Rhode Island School of Design Failures of the Imagination is a groundbreaking ecological critique of Venezuelan culture. Elizabeth Barrios fearlessly explores what it would mean to loosen oil's hold on our collective imagination by developing new conceptual habits that allow us to confront the overlooked contexts, temporalities, and destructive violence at play in the oil economy. This is an indispensable book, not only for the outstanding quality of its research but also for its contribution toward broadening the scope of Venezuela studies. -- Irina R. Troconis, Cornell UniversityMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Pittsburgh PA
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
8 b&w
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-8229-4890-2 (9780822948902)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Elizabeth Barrios is an affiliate of Albion College, Department of Modern Languages and Cultures.