Discarded Life: A Masterpiece Translation

Author: (English) Bauman, translated by Gu Lei and Hu Xin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: The creation of "human waste"—or more accurately, the creation of discarded lives, of surplus populations such as immigrants, refugees, and other exiles—is an inevitable outcome of modernization. Economic progress and the pursuit of order are characteristics of modernity, while the creation of "human waste" is a necessary byproduct of both. As long as most parts of the world remain fully or partially unaffected by modernization, these regions will inevitably be seen by modernizing nations as places to absorb surplus populations from "developed countries." People have sought global solutions to regional population issues and have even temporarily found them. However, modernization has now spread to the farthest corners of the planet, and everywhere on Earth is producing "surplus populations." All regions are now forced to bear the consequences of modernity's global triumph—(seemingly in vain) seeking regional solutions to global problems. The global expansion of modernity has deprived an increasing number of people of the means to survive, while the habitable space on Earth is rapidly shrinking. As a result, new anxieties about "immigrants" and "asylum seekers" have emerged, and the spread of "security panic" has become increasingly prominent on the agenda of contemporary politics. Zygmunt Bauman's new book, with its brilliant arguments, reveals the profound impact of this shift on our contemporary culture and politics. The book also demonstrates that addressing the issue of "human waste" provides a key to understanding some of the most perplexing social problems in our lives, which are widespread and range from global dominance strategies to the most intimate details of interpersonal relationships.