Matteo Meschiari's 'Landness' Rethinks the Anthropocene

Matteo Meschiari's new book 'Landness. Una storia geoanarchica' (Meltemi, 2022) proposes a radical rethinking of the Anthropocene through a geoanarchic lens. The author blends biography, geography, philosophy, and anarchist thought to challenge disciplinary and geographical boundaries. The narrative begins with a childhood memory in Modena, where his father recounted the Odyssey, sparking a lifelong obsession. Meschiari draws on figures like Élisée Reclus, Mosè Bertoni, Pëtr Kropotkin, James Kilgo, and Kenneth White as companions in this intellectual journey. Reclus, a French geographer and anarchist exiled from France, exemplifies the concept of 'landness'—a solitary, experiential approach to nature that merges action, thought, and narrative. Meschiari argues that the Anthropocene is not merely a geological epoch but a 'cultural total fact' that captures the imagination, echoing Margaret Atwood's 2015 assertion that 'it's not climate change, it's everything change.' The book aims to break down hierarchies between disciplines and ideologies, fostering new imaginaries for living on Earth. Published in the Atlantide series by Meltemi, the 240-page volume costs €20.