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Tho*gh the recent inva ion of &o%'ie into the A%erican c*lt*ral %ilie* trace it

ance try 'ac to 5eorge A+ #o%ero 1678 Night of the Living Dead, the &o%'ie it elf har en

'ac to 9aitian fol lore d*ring the height of A%erican colonial occ*pation+ The 9aitian &o%'ie

i a o*lle lave controlled thro*gh a voodoo c*r e 'y a orcerer( analogi&ing the 9aitian

people a victi% of E*ropean en lave%ent and A%erican coloniali %+ 1 #o%ero iteration of the

'iologically plag*ed &o%'ie ha canni'ali&ed; the fig*re of the 9aitian voodoo &o%'ie( where

the &o%'ie in atia'le h*nger now ignifie the grat*ito* ne of con *%er c*lt*re( rather than

the f*ngi'le owner hip of 'lac lave + , ro% fil% - 28 Days Later, Zombieland .( to 'oo

-World War Z .( to televi ion erie - The Walking Dead .( the ,1t

cent*ry &o%'ie follow aco%%on narrative arch: a vir* e%erge and pread per on4to4per on thro*gh 'ite that infect

the victi% 'lood trea%( where the &o%'ie overwhel% the govern%ent capacity to contain

the infe tation( leading to a glo'al pande%ic and r*in of %odern ociety+ The tory follow a

%all n*%'er of people -often tranger . who tr*ggle to *rvive in the po t4apocalyp e+ 3

The horror genre often play off of ocial and c*lt*ral anxiety 'y de ta'ili&ing the h*%an

*'

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ind*ce *ch fear+ The horror of the &o%'ie i that it 'reache the nor%al f*nctioning of the

h*%an 'ody( tran for% one into a %indle e%'odi%ent of death ( and the horror increa e a

large wath of individ*al are ociali&ed into the way of the *ndead+ 7

In %y analy i ( I pecifically deploy =artin 9eidegger conception of anxiety, which he

di ting*i he fro% fear+ Chile fear i alway an *nea e of o%ething threatening and

deter%inate( anxiety i *nea e a'o*t an indefinite nothing( a creeping feeling that co%e fro%

nothing and nowhere+; ? The ontological lin age 'etween horror and anxiety te% fro% the

di r*ptive enco*nter with the *ndead+ @o%'ie ( tho e 'eing who e%'ody their own

nothingne (8

prod*ce anxiety 'eca* e their pre ence de ta'ili&e the 'o*ndarie of life anddeath( *'

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%achine inge ting re o*rce at a rapid and tho*ghtle pace+ 10 A "teven "haviro colorf*lly

de cri'e ( @o%'ie pre ent the Jh*%an face of capitali t %on tro ity+; 11 In the Da)n of the

Dead ( horde of &o%'ie atte%pt to overr*n the %all at the chagrin of the *rviving h*%an who

tay heltered there+ Chen a ed why &o%'ie wo*ld congregate at a %all( one *rvivor replie (

In tinct( %e%ory( what they * ed to do4 thi wa an i%portant place in their live +; 1, The

*rvivor that ta e ref*ge in the %all en the anxiety of alienation i not e%'odied in the fear of &o%'ie ( '*t rather anxiety i

e%'odied in con *%er prod*ct that co%e to %ean nothing a%id t the dawn of apocalyp e+

A the %a e of &o%'ie terrori&e in the for% of half4death( o too doe %a prod*ction

and %a la'or tr*dge along in the a%e d*lled *nifor%ity+ The =arxian conception of

alienation( in which the wor er p*t hi life into the o'

15 =arx( /arl Econo%ic and Philo ophical =an* cript of 18>>+E tranged La'o*r

http:BBwww+%arxi t +orgBarchiveB%arxBwor B18>>B%an* cript Bla'o*r+ht%

16 "%ith( Ada% A I NFI#G I TO T9E ATF#E A D $AF"E" O T9E CEALT9 O ATIO " A ELE$T#O I$ $LA""I$"

"E#IE" PF!LI$ATIO Pg+ 37> http:BBwww,+hn+p *+ed*Bfac*ltyB

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where the li%' of capital %ove li e a viral infection( eating *p the 'ody and %ind of the

wor er( and exploiting the living thro*gh deathly la'or+ 1? The lifele %echani %; 18 of the

factory convert the wor er into a living appendage of the %achine+; 16

Thi i exe%plified in &haun of the Dead ( where the protagoni t( an appliance ale %an(

i wal ing to the convenience tore in hi * *al daily t*por+ It i 'eca* e of hi di e%'odied

tedi*% co*pled with hi *nidirectional drive for a oda( what 9eidegger refer to a the

tran)*ility of everydayne ; ,0 and what collo)*ial A%ericani % refer to a going thro*gh the

%otion (; that he neglect to notice that hi whole town i infe ted with &o%'ie + The tragic farce

in 'oth Da)n of the Dead and &haun of the Dead i derived fro% the idea that( *nder the 'analityof con *%eri % and %ar et la'or( o%eti%e the living are indi ting*i ha'le fro% the dead+

To revi it 9eidegger conception of anxiety ( apocalyptic anxio* ne doe not te% fro%

the &o%'ie threat( '*t rather fro% the ina'ility for govern%ent in tit*tion and ocietal cohe ion

to ade)*ately re pond to the threat+ In the %o t recent decade( &o%'ie torie expre ed thi

anxiety thro*gh i%age of va t e%pty *r'an land cape + In 28 Days Later the protagoni t wa e

*p in a ho pital 'ed in a pretty vacant London+ In The Walking Dead the protagoni t i vent*ring

into an e%pty Atlanta a %a e of e%pty car lay a'andoned along ide the freeway+ ,1 The e%pty

*r'an land cape tand a a ynecdoche for the glo'al interconnectivity that pread the plag*e( ,,

17 Lar en( Lar !ang @o%'ie of I%%aterial La'or: The =odern =on ter and the Death of Death( 2an*ary , ( ,010+ http:BBwww+e4

fl*x+co%B

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the ecological collap e that re *lted( ,3 and the fail*re of h*%an in tit*tion to ade)*ately contain

the pe tilence+ The &o%'ie not only infect the h*%an 'ody( '*t infect the p*'lic phere4

corporate office ( chool ( hopping %all 4 where cata trophe radically change the ecological

environ%ent+ ,> In the e cenario ( the &o%'ie apocalyp e recede into the 'ac gro*nd( revealing

the interh*%an and ocial pro'le% that -re.ani%ated the %on tro* threat+ ,

Chen ocietie are threatened with ecologically di r*ptive threat *ch a pande%ic (

cli%ate change( and nat*ral di a ter ( the idea of the dead ri ing to attac coincide with the

)*e tion of what %ight happen when h*%anity i faced with total annihilation+ ,7 Altho*gh the

li elihood of a &o%'ie infe tation i ee%ingly %ini%al co%pared to anthropogenic cli%atechange( the i%age of %a ecological de tr*ction fro% 'oth cenario ha had wide pread effect

on the p*'lic con cio* ne + In re pon e to -white. people who experience ac*te anxiety over the

di r*ptive effect of cli%ate change( ecop ychologi t have developed therape*tic treat%ent that

enco*rage patient to develop a healthier relation hip with nat*re+ ,? In =ay ,011 The $enter for

Di ea e $ontrol relea ed a %e%o on how to *rvive a &o%'ie apocalyp e( and di a ter

preparation co%%*nitie ; *ch a the @o%'ie ")*ad have grown into a worldwide %ove%ent

with ,8 eparate chapter ( 'oth 'a ed on the 'elief that preparing for a &o%'ie apocalyp e i

i%ilar eno*gh to preparing for nat*ral di a ter 'ro*ght 'y cli%ate change+ ,8

23 Polloc ( 5reg+ HFndead i the ew 5reen: @o%'ie and Political Ecology+H @o%'ie Are F : E ay on the 9*%anity of the Cal ing Dead+

Ed + $hri topher =+ =ore%an and $ory 2a%e #* hton+ 2effer on( $: =c arland R $o%pany( Inc+( ,011+ Pg+ 1? 41?7

24 La*ro( "arah 2*liet( and E%'ry( /aren A @o%'ie =anife to: The onh*%an $ondition in the Era of Advanced $apitali % 87 'o*ndary , B

"pring ,008 pg+ 100

25

Lar en( Lar !ang @o%'ie of I%%aterial La'or: The =odern =on ter and the Death of Death ( 2an*ary , ( ,010+ http:BBwww+e4fl*x+co%B

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The e ca e reveal how the fictional anxiety e%'odied in the &o%'ie fig*re inter ect

with real anxietie over how the everydayne of h*%an con *%ption contri'*te to %a

ecological da%age and the event*al canni'ali&ation of h*%an civili&ation+ The pre ence of

&o%'ie in the A%erican c*lt*ral %ilie* expre e a larger enti%ent that the apocalyp e ha

already 'eg*nK that %*ch li e the *rvivor of a &o%'ie plag*e( we are exi ting on e%pty ti%e ,6

at the end of hi tory+ 30 Thi o%nipre ent doo% wa 'e t expre ed 'y the Chite 9o* e ational

$li%ate A e %ent on =ay 7th( ,01>( $li%ate change once con idered an i *e for a di tant

f*t*re( ha %oved fir%ly into the pre ent+;

If the fig*re of the &o%'ie ignifie ecological cata trophe a a %atter of inevita'ilityrather than prevention( then we %* t con ider )*e tion on how to con tr*ct ethic in the r*in of

civili&ation+ Thi i 'eca* e the horror 'ehind an apocalyp e i not

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The concept of the sublime can 'e traced 'ac to I%%an*el /ant( who de cri'ed it a an

ae thetic experience of great plea *re and terror( where terror i felt d*ring a *'84 >68

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connection of %eaning we attach to o*r elve and to ociety 37( 'eca* e li e cli%ate change the

loo%ing chao of the wal ing dead pro%i e little alvation for the c*rrent glo'al political and

econo%ic order +3? Altho*gh the po t%odern *'li%e of the &o%'ie will not rever e the tra

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If &o%'ie are an ae thetic tool to ready * for a po t4apocalyptic ethic ( then I contend

that Al'ert $a%* novel( The lague ( provide a paradig% for the way %oral con cio* ne

%ay develop after the collap e of civili&ation+ 36 In the novel( the town of Oran i tr*c with a

plag*e that deva tate the co%%*nity+ Tho*gh the pe tilence ha overwhel%ed the a'ility for

tate '*rea*cracie to addre the threat( h*%an ocietie till adhere to what N*e tlove de cri'e

a ( "poo y action fro% a di tance+; Chile it %ay 'e perceived that h*%an ociety i fo*nded on

a ocial contract 'etween a overeign and it people( there i a *'tler *nderlying ocial contract

involving the inherent interconnection 'etween * all+ >0 In The lague ( #ie*x( a doctor a igned

to treat plag*e victi% ( i con tantly 'o%'arded with patient to the point where holding the ideaof victory over the plag*e -47?

40 N*e tlove Chen the People $heer: 9ow 9ip49op ailed !lac A%erica *lt*re =aga&ine http:BBwww+v*lt*re+co%B,01>B0>B)*e tlove4on4

how4hip4hop4failed4'lac 4a%erica+ht%l

41 /rapp( 2ohn+ HTi%e And Ethic In Al'ert $a%* S HThe Plag*e++H Fniver ity Of Toronto N*arterly 78+, -1666. Pg+ 7?

42 #o'in on( $hri topher $+ Theori&ing Politic After $a%* 9*% "t*d ,006 Pg+ 18

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