Can You Imagine a Future That Isn’t “Disposable”?

Part of the Series

Disposable Futures

As the 21st century tumbles forward, ever more individuals and groups are now considered “excess” by the onslaught of global forces that no longer offer the possibility of alternative futures. This politics of “disposability” can be seen in the rising numbers of homeless, the growing army of debt-ridden students, those lacking basic necessities amid widening income disparities, the surveillance of immigrants, the school-to-prison pipeline and the destruction of the middle class. But we cannot discuss the disposability of lives without critiquing its lasting implications. In fact, what makes the contemporary forms of disposability so abhorrent is precisely the way they systematically produce disposable futures. Can we imagine a different future?

The Histories of Violence project is now partnering with Truthout to pursue that question, by creating a forum for broader discussion on the theme of “disposable futures.” This is not simply an attempt to add layer upon layer of analysis to reaffirm what we already know about our tragic and catastrophically fated world. Instead, we are looking to encourage new forms of political intervention – whether those come in the form of critiques of our collective future or ideas for transformation. We invite contributions from public intellectuals, students, artists, poets, writers, social activists and scholars from whatever discipline, utilizing a broad array of media. Our aim is to reclaim the idea that it is possible to transform the world for the better. Join us!

Submission Guidelines: All submissions must be sent directly to [email protected] with the title: “SUBMISSION Disposable Life: (followed by article and author name)” in the email subject line. Full submission guidelines available here.

Self-Plagiarism and the Politics of Character Assassination: The Case of Zygmunt Bauman
Sunday, 30 August 2015
By Brad Evans and Henry A. Giroux, Truthout | Op-Ed

Challenging a “Disposable Future,” Looking to a Politics of Possibility
Sunday, 10 May 2015
By Victoria Harper, Truthout | Interview

Disposable Futures: Critique of Violence
Wednesday, 06 May 2015
By Brad Evans and Henry A Giroux, City Lights Books | Book Excerpt

Introducing David Theo Goldberg’s “Sites of Race”
Monday, 02 March 2015
By Susan Searls Giroux, Truthout | Book Excerpt and Video

The Eyes of the World
Friday, 16 January 2015
By Brad Evans, Truthout | News Analysis

Hollywood, the Police and the Poor
Sunday, 21 December 2014
By John Steppling, Truthout | Film Review

Disposable Life: Jean Franco
Friday, 31 October 2014
By Jean Franco, Histories of Violence | Video Essay

Another War, Another Evil: Haven’t We Learnt That the Devil Cannot Be Slain?
Friday, 26 September 2014
By Brad Evans, Truthout | Op-Ed

Disposable Life: Max Silverman
Monday, 01 September 2014
By Max Silverman, Histories of Violence | Video Essay

The Language of Expulsion
By Sakia Sassen, Truthout | News Analysis
Wednesday, 30 July 2014

Gustavo Esteva with Brad Evans | Violence and Hope in Chiapas: Pedagogies by the Globally Oppressed
Tuesday, 01 July 2014
By Brad Evans, Truthout | News Analysis

Truthout Interviews Henry A. Giroux on Neoliberalism
By Ted Asregadoo, Truthout | Video Interview
Sunday, 15 June 2014

Econocide Over-The-Rhine
By Thomas A Dutton, Truthout | News Analysis
Sunday, 08 June 2014

Disposable Futures
Sunday, 01 June 2014
By Henry A Giroux and Brad Evans, Truthout | Op-Ed

Disposable Life: Henry A. Giroux
Sunday, 01 June 2014
By Henry A Giroux, Truthout | Video

Neoliberalism and the Machinery of Disposability
Tuesday, 08 April 2014
By Henry A Giroux, Truthout | Op-Ed

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Henry A. Giroux

Henry A. Giroux currently holds the McMaster University Chair for Scholarship in the Public Interest in the English and Cultural Studies Department and is the Paulo Freire Distinguished Scholar in Critical Pedagogy. His most recent books include: American Nightmare: Facing the Challenge of Fascism (City Lights, 2018); The Terror of the Unforeseen (Los Angeles Review of books, 2019), On Critical Pedagogy, 2nd edition (Bloomsbury, 2020); Race, Politics, and Pandemic Pedagogy: Education in a Time of Crisis (Bloomsbury 2021); and Pedagogy of Resistance: Against Manufactured Ignorance (Bloomsbury 2022). Giroux is also a member of Truthout’s Board of Directors.

Brad Evans

Brad Evans, a reader in political violence at the University of Bristol in England, is the founder and director of the Histories of Violence project (@histofviolence), dedicated to critiquing the problem of violence in the 21st century. The author of over 10 books and edited volumes, recent publications include Portraits of Violence: An Illustrated History of Radical Thinking (with Sean Michael Wilson) and Disposable Futures: The Seduction of Violence in the Age of the Spectacle (with Henry A. Giroux). Brad recently featured as the inaugural guest on Russell Brand’s new podcast Under the Skin. Personal website: www.brad-evans.co.uk.