The Politics of "Crisis" in Historical Perspective

Crisis is a central concept in contemporary discourse; we are constantly told that we are in crisis – often several crises at once. We have endured several financial and geopolitical crises since 9/11. We have only recently emerged from a prolonged pandemic and now find ourselves in the midst of an economic and a geopolitical crisis against the backdrop of a climate crisis that threatens the very conditions of human existence on this planet. This essay interrogates the conceptual history of the term “crisis” in the longue durée, charting its development from its ancient Greek origins to its contemporary centrality. This essay shows how the concept “crisis,” though it often refers to tangible practical realities, has also come to function as a discursive device that expands the scope of legitimate action and that has frequently been deployed by political elites to this effect but may also be turned against them.