Hospicing Modernity: Parting with Harmful Ways of Living

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Machado de Oliveira breaks down archetypes of cognitive dissonance--the do-gooder who does "good enough," then retreats to business as usual; the incognito capitalist who, at first glance, may seem like a radical change-maker--and asks us to dig deeper and exist differently. Facebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.

For Indigenous communities, the teachings that are necessary for engagement with sacred plants are very rigorous and require a lot of discipline. Modernity, she claims, is not about being contemporary or cutting edge, nor is it about technology or science. Hospicing Modernity invites its reader to dare and educate themselves by undergoing a process of self-unmaking.It does not matter if you agree or not with the premise that modernity is dying and in need of ‘hospicing. This book is not easy: it contains no quick-fix plan for a better, brighter tomorrow, and gives no ready-made answers. Machado de Oliveira breaks down archetypes of cognitive dissonance–the do-gooder who does “good enough,” then retreats to business as usual; the incognito capitalist who, at first glance, may seem like a radical change-maker–and asks us to dig deeper and exist differently. ISBN: 9781623176242 “Beyond a mere critique of modernity, this is a book written for us as people who struggle with the everyday manifestations of modern power. We certainly need to escape its clutches and discover a kinder, more connected way of living in the world.

KYLE WHYTE, PhD, George Willis Pack Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan “Asking the question ‘What if racism, colonialism, and all other forms of toxic and contagious divisions are preventable social diseases? Rather, we should recognise that modernity is expiring, that it no longer has anything to offer and that we must move it to the hospice where it can gracefully die. She explains how our habits, behaviours, and belief systems hold us back…and why it’s time now to gradually disinvest. Hospicing Modernity is a troubling gift in a big cultural moment, and I’m delighted to have encountered it.We take more than we give; we inoculate ourselves in positive self-regard while continuing to make harmful choices; we wreak irreparable havoc on the ecosystems, habitats, and beings with whom we share our planet. Driven by expansion, colonialism, and resource extraction and propelled by neoliberalism and rabid consumption, our world is profoundly out of balance.

For fans of adrienne maree brown, Sherri Mitchell, and Arundhati Roy, Hospicing Modernity challenges our assumptions and dares to ask more of us, for the sake of us all. It is a book that is not only thought provoking but also helpful in guiding genuinely worthwhile discussions. Machado de Oliveira breaks down archetypes of cognitive dissonance—the do-gooder who does “good enough,” then retreats to business as usual; the incognito capitalist who, at first glance, may seem like a radical change-maker—and asks us to dig deeper and exist differently. The dying can prepare for the end and those close to them can prepare for life without their loved one. It is the state humans adopt when they believe they are separate from nature and not reliant on each other.

Instead, Vanessa Machado de Oliveira presents us with a challenge: to grow up, step up, and show up for ourselves, our communities, and the living Earth, and to interrupt the modern behavior patterns that are killing the planet we’re part of. It is fitting that the author is someone who genuinely has a foot outside of the tent of modernity and can bring a unique perspective to its study.

Drawing on and moving beyond traditions of radical pedagogy, such as those inspired by Paulo Freire, the author has created a powerful tool for uncovering, undoing, and recovering from the deadly ways in which modernity also lives and dies as humans experience it subjectively. This is not strictly an academic book, but an educational experiment full of dancing stories, metaphors, allegories, creative maps, and exercises that ask you to sit at the limits of our modern desires and imagination.The future for humanity is uncertain, but knowing who we really are and where we came from at least gives us a chance to build a kinder, more beautiful world. A hospice is a place of kindness, not only for those about to die but also for those who will survive them. It’s a book for the future, yet written to meet us where we are at right now as individuals living with trauma and facing ethical dilemmas about what it means to take meaningful actions under conditions of complexity. For fans of adrienne maree brown, Sherri Mitchell, and Arundhati Roy, Hospicing Modernity challenges our assumptions and dares to ask more of us, for the sake of us all.