Will the Flower Slip Through the Asphalt | Vijay Prashad

Will the Flower Slip Through the Asphalt? Writers Respond to Capitalist Climate Change

Accolades & Praise

• Essential Reading: A highly regarded, multi-disciplinary indictment of how corporate greed and imperialism actively accelerate planetary collapse.
• Academic Acclaim: Widely celebrated among students, professors, and community organizers specializing in political ecology, Marxist geography, and post-colonial studies.

Extended Synopsis

Is climate change merely a scientific problem, or is it the inevitable consequence of global capitalism? Inspired by the revolutionary poetry of Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Will the Flower Slip Through the Asphalt? unites the world’s leading radical thinkers to answer this definitive question and expose the systemic roots of our global ecological crisis.

The anthology is anchored by Naomi Klein's foundational Edward Said lecture, which masterfully links the question of climate with the realities of political occupation, focusing heavily on Palestine. Klein argues that those who are systematically "othered" will invariably be the first victims of climate catastrophe. Moving far beyond weak green-capitalism fixes like carbon offsets, this collection offers an uncompromising framework for genuine climate action.

Surrounding Klein's lecture are direct reflections and spurred insights from premier writers across the globe. Susan Abulhawa writes a firsthand activist report from the fossil fuel sacrifice zone at Standing Rock; Rafia Zakaria takes readers to the threatened shorelines of Karachi; Masturah Alatas explores the intersection of religious dress and corporate air-conditioning in Malaysia; and Amitav Ghosh closes with a deep meditation on early colonial globalization and the historical spice trade. Together, they provide a diverse, global perspective on the interconnected realities of ecological destruction and human resilience.

About the Editor & Contributors

Edited by Vijay Prashad, this volume features a powerhouse lineup of international intellectuals and activists. Key contributors include renowned author and activist Naomi Klein, celebrated novelist Amitav Ghosh, Marxist ecologist John Bellamy Foster, Palestinian-American writer Susan Abulhawa, and other prominent voices such as Ghassan Hage, Rafia Zakaria, Shalini Singh, and Masturah Alatas.

Reader Targeting

• Activists and community organizers seeking a radical, anti-capitalist framework for environmental justice.
• Students and scholars engaged in political ecology, sociology, and post-colonial studies.
• Readers looking for diverse, global perspectives that move past Western-centric environmentalism.

Bibliographic & Physical Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the core argument of this anthology?
The book argues that climate change is deeply intertwined with global capitalism and imperialism, and it challenges readers to target systemic corporate greed rather than relying on individual consumer choices or greenwashing.

Whose work forms the foundation of this collection?
The anthology is anchored by Naomi Klein's Edward Said lecture, which explores the concept of "sacrifice zones" and links environmental degradation to political occupation.

Does the book focus solely on Western environmentalism?
No, the collection specifically highlights diverse global perspectives, featuring frontline realities and historical context from places like India, Pakistan, Palestine, Malaysia, and Indigenous communities in North America.

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