Capitalism and Ecological Disasters: An Eco-Socialist Reading of Caryl Churchill’s Escaped Alone

Authors : Yalçın Erden, Abdul Serdar Ozturk

Pages : 1123-1140

Doi:10.22559/folklor.2652

View : 134 | Download : 101

Publication Date : 2024-11-01

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study aims to analyse Escaped Alone by Caryl Churchill from an eco-socialist perspective. The devastating consequences of the impairment of ecological balance are considerably felt in the contemporary world, and several literary works are not indifferent to current ecological predicaments that constitute an existential threat to humanity. Escaped Alone is no exception, and the play presents potential ecological and social risks awaiting humanity unless eco-indifferent capitalist practices are halted. Accordingly, this essay examines the eco-catastrophic incidents such as rockfalls, aridity, chemical leaks, pandemics, and unstoppable fires that ravage both humans and nonhumans in Escaped Alone to discuss the role of the capitalist system in ecological crises. After demonstrating the basic tenets of eco-socialism by referring to noteworthy critics, the study displays how capitalism exacerbates social inequality and devastates planetary resources by scrutinising the systematic overexploitation of nature, the unlimited desire for profit, eco-indifferent mass production and consumption processes, and humans’ lost bond with nature in the play. It seeks to argue that ecological crises are not independent of socioeconomic problems triggered by the capitalist system. Most importantly, it highlights that the eco-catastrophic narration prevalent in the play not only enables the playwright to demonstrate the source of ecological problems but also prompts the eco-indifferent audience to gain eco-consciousness.
Keywords : eko sosyalizm, ekolojik felaketler, Caryl Churchill, distopya