Sensing late-liberal state failure: Ecologies of resistance in a post-industrial German city

Abstract

Harbour cities smell differently: the sea mixes its own odours of fish and seaweed with the exhaust gases of heavy ships and marine industries. In one of those major seaports, the German city of Bremerhaven, my informants noticed a different smell in the hot summer of 2014: the stench of waste from other European countries temporarily stored near the city’s touristic fishery harbour. Whilst the public outrage forced local authorities to swiftly remove the waste, the wastes of the local incineration plant are not sensed so easily. This paper concentrates on the work of a local activist group against the extension of the landfill where the plant’s toxic filter dusts are deposited. A group of former natural scientists, they track these carcinogenic dusts with the help of both their senses and their scientific training. By that, they draw into power’s remit what cannot be seen. They hold the power of a failing late liberal state accountable by producing knowledge that transcends the limits of governance as defined by local authorities. Although my informants’ attempts often remain unsuccessful, their scientific-sensory agency exemplifies an important ecological take on power and resistance. This form of ecological agency takes into account a variety of nonhuman actors and intricate sets of biochemical and geological data. It also favours ideas of longevity and sustainability. As an exercise in ecological thought, this form of activism forces us to redefine the nature of power and the responsibilities of the state in the age of the Anthropocene.