Rethinking societal collapse: Historians as reflective guides, not predictors

Summary

This article challenges the common use of historical collapse narratives as predictive tools for modern societies. It argues that the historical and archaeological record is too contingent and context-bound to generate reliable forecasts. Instead, the authors propose that historians and archaeologists should take on a public, reflective role — helping societies explore narratives beyond the binary of progress/growth fetishism versus nostalgic/fortress mentalities. The piece advocates for learning from civilizations that attempted to "break down well" — i.e., collapse in ways that were less catastrophic, more equitable, or more humane.

Source

bskyRethinking societal collapse: Historians as reflective guides, not predictorsresilience.org