Post-Petroleum Political Transformation in James Howard Kunstler's World Made by Hand

OpenAlex · English

This paper explores the political limits and opportunities of the post-petroleum society in James Howard Kunstler’s World Made by Hand. The first part of the study outlines the current dependence of modern society on petroleum, the social and political repercussions of this fuel, and the discourses produced as a response to its future. Subsequently, the study demonstrates the disintegration of the U.S. due to absence of oil in the novel, which opens up possibilities of chaos and new political organizations. One of the consequences of the fall of nation-state is the conflicts in urban spaces that are poorly prepared for the post-petroleum era. Another political possibility in the post-petroleum era observed in the novel is refeudalization of some regions. The novel foregrounds that the political vacuum enables certain individuals to seize the power and become the sole authority. However, the novel also explores the possibility of a more democratic political reconstruction in its depiction of Union Grove. In this regard, the study evaluates political decision-making methods in Union Grove, specifically focusing on the crisis leading to the election of the protagonist as the new mayor. In the study, this crisis is evaluated as a natural reaction to the purely representative type of democracy and call for a more participatory type of governance. Within this framework, how the conditions of a world without petroleum pave way for this call is demonstrated. Thus, the paper argues that World Made by Hand offers an optimistic view of post-petroleum society despite the estimated pitfalls.