The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis
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- Create Date：2021-12-24 07:51:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Amitav Ghosh
- ISBN：1529369452
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Summary
In this ambitious successor to The Great Derangement， acclaimed writer Amitav Ghosh finds the origins of our contemporary climate crisis in Western colonialism’s violent exploitation of human life and the natural environment。
A powerful work of history， essay， testimony， and polemic， Amitav Ghosh’s new book traces our contemporary planetary crisis back to the discovery of the New World and the sea route to the Indian Ocean。 The Nutmeg’s Curse argues that the dynamics of climate change today are rooted in a centuries-old geopolitical order constructed by Western colonialism。 At the center of Ghosh’s narrative is the now-ubiquitous spice nutmeg。 The history of the nutmeg is one of conquest and exploitation—of both human life and the natural environment。 In Ghosh’s hands， the story of the nutmeg becomes a parable for our environmental crisis， revealing the ways human history has always been entangled with earthly materials such as spices， tea， sugarcane， opium， and fossil fuels。 Our crisis， he shows， is ultimately the result of a mechanistic view of the earth， where nature exists only as a resource for humans to use for our own ends， rather than a force of its own， full of agency and meaning。
Writing against the backdrop of the global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests， Ghosh frames these historical stories in a way that connects our shared colonial histories with the deep inequality we see around us today。 By interweaving discussions on everything from the global history of the oil trade to the migrant crisis and the animist spirituality of Indigenous communities around the world， The Nutmeg’s Curse offers a sharp critique of Western society and speaks to the profoundly remarkable ways in which human history is shaped by non-human forces。
A powerful work of history， essay， testimony， and polemic， Amitav Ghosh’s new book traces our contemporary planetary crisis back to the discovery of the New World and the sea route to the Indian Ocean。 The Nutmeg’s Curse argues that the dynamics of climate change today are rooted in a centuries-old geopolitical order constructed by Western colonialism。 At the center of Ghosh’s narrative is the now-ubiquitous spice nutmeg。 The history of the nutmeg is one of conquest and exploitation—of both human life and the natural environment。 In Ghosh’s hands， the story of the nutmeg becomes a parable for our environmental crisis， revealing the ways human history has always been entangled with earthly materials such as spices， tea， sugarcane， opium， and fossil fuels。 Our crisis， he shows， is ultimately the result of a mechanistic view of the earth， where nature exists only as a resource for humans to use for our own ends， rather than a force of its own， full of agency and meaning。
Writing against the backdrop of the global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests， Ghosh frames these historical stories in a way that connects our shared colonial histories with the deep inequality we see around us today。 By interweaving discussions on everything from the global history of the oil trade to the migrant crisis and the animist spirituality of Indigenous communities around the world， The Nutmeg’s Curse offers a sharp critique of Western society and speaks to the profoundly remarkable ways in which human history is shaped by non-human forces。
Reviews
Jane
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This is one of the most powerful and important books I’ve ever read。 A masterpiece of its time。
Sudeepa Nair
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I have read it once， but I need to read this every year to remind myself what the word crisis means for us today。If it is unclear to you how the planet’s self-proclaimed intelligent species has managed to bring their home at the brink of an existential crisis， this book will explain， confuse and prod you into a questioning mode。 What have we done to ourselves and our planetary relatives？ Are non-humans not stakeholders to this home of ours？
David Haberlah
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Ghosh unmutes the voices silenced by centuries of unnatural （or should I say unholy） pursuit of colonialism， science， ecology， capitalism， monotheism subjugating native societies， economies and epistemologies。 By taking the view of the brutalised， whether terraformed it’s lands or displaced people， Ghosh creates a compelling narrative of why today’s privileged elites struggle to address the ecological and climate crisis effectively。 From VOC 1602 to COP21 we are blind to how our disconnected wor Ghosh unmutes the voices silenced by centuries of unnatural （or should I say unholy） pursuit of colonialism， science， ecology， capitalism， monotheism subjugating native societies， economies and epistemologies。 By taking the view of the brutalised， whether terraformed it’s lands or displaced people， Ghosh creates a compelling narrative of why today’s privileged elites struggle to address the ecological and climate crisis effectively。 From VOC 1602 to COP21 we are blind to how our disconnected worldview imposed on nature and other societies is at the heart of a global crisis that will， if unmitigated， disrupt all lives and livelihoods。 A thought-provoking read that puts a illuminating perspective on 2021， whether it is BLM， COVID 19 or Elon Musk flying into space。 。。。more
Himanshu Khurana
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A book filled with wonder， rage and constructive argument on what's wrong with today's world。 Ghosh has a way with words and that carries its stamp both in his fiction and non fiction。 He tells you what you know deep down but you just couldn't realize it as a felt thought before。 This book needs to be read and re-read to reimagine the way the so called 'modern' society lives and functions。 And he shows the way out that is not that simple but not too complex either。 A book filled with wonder， rage and constructive argument on what's wrong with today's world。 Ghosh has a way with words and that carries its stamp both in his fiction and non fiction。 He tells you what you know deep down but you just couldn't realize it as a felt thought before。 This book needs to be read and re-read to reimagine the way the so called 'modern' society lives and functions。 And he shows the way out that is not that simple but not too complex either。 。。。more
Srishti Jain
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Game changer。Makes you question everything， even your existence。 1000/10。
Delson Roche
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A very though provoking book- one that will make you relate contemporary times to history and help you visualise where were are heading。 One memorable line from the book， that perhaps summarises the book itself is “ It is empathy that makes it possible， for humans to understand each other’s stories: this is why storytelling needs to be the core of a global politics of vitality”The book does just that， it begins with the story of Banda Island that witnessed a genocide， because of its nutmeg。 The A very though provoking book- one that will make you relate contemporary times to history and help you visualise where were are heading。 One memorable line from the book， that perhaps summarises the book itself is “ It is empathy that makes it possible， for humans to understand each other’s stories: this is why storytelling needs to be the core of a global politics of vitality”The book does just that， it begins with the story of Banda Island that witnessed a genocide， because of its nutmeg。 The entire island’s population was displaced- today the story continues， just that the modern nutmeg is different。 It could be energy， land and many other resources。 Every struggle has a story and the stories in this book covers the entire globe and not just a few regions and that is what I particularly like about it。 What， I didn’t like， which made me cut down one star is the author’s philosophical conclusions， which were a tad too long for my liking。 Philosophy， is just not my cup to tea。 Nevertheless a beautiful and enjoyable read for me。 。。。more
Nicole
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Even though the historical introduction felt a bit long in the beginning， I love how everything started to make sense by around chapter 5 / 6。 As he writes about mass colonialism and imperialism in the past， he uses it to describe how we got to where we are today。 The nutmeg's history is used as a reference and very interesting parable to other current day commodities。 His general and underlying focus on climate change is felt in the emergency in his tone。 Some things were new to me， such as the Even though the historical introduction felt a bit long in the beginning， I love how everything started to make sense by around chapter 5 / 6。 As he writes about mass colonialism and imperialism in the past， he uses it to describe how we got to where we are today。 The nutmeg's history is used as a reference and very interesting parable to other current day commodities。 His general and underlying focus on climate change is felt in the emergency in his tone。 Some things were new to me， such as the use of the word "brutes，" the mass exterminations of indigenous communities in Indonesia by the VOC and the （US） military's contribution to climate change that diplomatic circles skilfully sweep under the carpet。 This is definitely my favourite read this year and it makes me excited to read more from the author。 。。。more
Stephen Muecke
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Ghosh does something quite original here: he forges very strong links between postcolonial thought and the issues to do with what Latour calls the 'new climatic regime' （Latour not mentioned; nor is Dipesh Chakrabarty's important work on 'the climate of history in a planetary age'）。 Ghosh stresses the destructiveness of the （western） extractivist mentality， treating the earth as mere resource。 He writes beautifully， ficto-critically， telling how he came by his knowledge as he goes， avoiding omni Ghosh does something quite original here: he forges very strong links between postcolonial thought and the issues to do with what Latour calls the 'new climatic regime' （Latour not mentioned; nor is Dipesh Chakrabarty's important work on 'the climate of history in a planetary age'）。 Ghosh stresses the destructiveness of the （western） extractivist mentality， treating the earth as mere resource。 He writes beautifully， ficto-critically， telling how he came by his knowledge as he goes， avoiding omniscience， like he did in his great first book， In an Antique land。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Arvind
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This is a MUST read
Anil Dhingra
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I am surprised to see only 47 ratings so far for this immensely popular author。 Maybe the heavy reading and hard facts have dissuaded some readers。 However this is a must read book as it is nonfiction， an account of the climate changes， the blame lying on the developed world always trying to capture wealth and displacing or eradicating the native tribes and population。 Starting with 1621， the book gives the history of the nutmeg growing islands in Banda in Indonesia。 The nutmeg attracts Dutch i I am surprised to see only 47 ratings so far for this immensely popular author。 Maybe the heavy reading and hard facts have dissuaded some readers。 However this is a must read book as it is nonfiction， an account of the climate changes， the blame lying on the developed world always trying to capture wealth and displacing or eradicating the native tribes and population。 Starting with 1621， the book gives the history of the nutmeg growing islands in Banda in Indonesia。 The nutmeg attracts Dutch invaders to kill the natives and corner the profitable trade in the rare precious nutmeg or jaiphal。 The same story is repeated in history as invaders from England， France and Dutch capture territories in the spice countries and in America。 The nature of the captured countries is plundered in the name of development。 Local customs especially those honouring the animals and plants are designated as witchcraft。 The results are the climate change currently seen。 The author has linked the history with the current issues like global warming， Black lives matter and covid pandemic。 It's very serious reading but worth it for the amount of information and knowledge。 The most interesting I found was that Gaian philosophy which considers every non-living thing as person。 Hence earth， rivers， trees， are also Life like human's and animals。 Court cases declaring rivers as respondents are highlighted。 This is the basis of the current movements like Chipko， river cleaning to save the environment。 A most topical book brilliantly written。 。。。more
Anja
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speaks about important connections between colonialism and environmental destruction， but unfortunately unravels at the end， even mentioning aliens in one passage …
Nisha Bolsey
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This is a rare book that does more than just tell a story or give a particular take on an issue—rather， it provides a paradigm or lens with which to understand not only the climate crisis， but in many ways， the world in general。 Ghosh painstakingly documents that is not just that colonialism and climate destruction are linked， it is how they are linked and rooted in exterminationist ideologies that we must confront。 But Ghosh is always a storyteller which is part of why his nonfiction is so exce This is a rare book that does more than just tell a story or give a particular take on an issue—rather， it provides a paradigm or lens with which to understand not only the climate crisis， but in many ways， the world in general。 Ghosh painstakingly documents that is not just that colonialism and climate destruction are linked， it is how they are linked and rooted in exterminationist ideologies that we must confront。 But Ghosh is always a storyteller which is part of why his nonfiction is so excellent。 This stunning book argues not for naiive hope or permanent despair （though the picture is grim）。 Instead Ghosh asks us to recognize the vitality of the nonhuman world in its full beauty and terror。 。。。more
Kalyan Turaga
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Its a good book。 Of late the books I picked up books which start at some random point of view and start commenting on current political affair， some how the author connects the dots。 What I liked: I learned new things about colonial rule， Nutmeg， Banda Islands and how they are analogues to current day state-of-affairs。 What I do not understand: Why the fuck the author think India occupied Kashmir。 I siloed the this author into libtards， filtered the crap I do not agree and enjoyed the things whi Its a good book。 Of late the books I picked up books which start at some random point of view and start commenting on current political affair， some how the author connects the dots。 What I liked: I learned new things about colonial rule， Nutmeg， Banda Islands and how they are analogues to current day state-of-affairs。 What I do not understand: Why the fuck the author think India occupied Kashmir。 I siloed the this author into libtards， filtered the crap I do not agree and enjoyed the things which I did not know or connected dots。 Do I want to read this book again？ : YesDo I want to my kids to read this book once they are old enough: YesRecommend this book to anyone: Honestly I feel on other guy has same interest as mine， if there is someone who has similar crazy interest as mine， go for it fucker！ Why not？！ There are limited books around which tickle your intellect。 。。。more
Graise
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Felt like a cheaper， faster written version of Cod or Salt。
Ashley
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I respect the underlying message in this book and the lessons that history tells us。 However， it isn’t as groundbreaking as Ghosh’s last book on climate related matters， “The Great Derangement”。 For me， the book skipped around too much with several sections lacking links to the main narrative。 Overall， the first half is a joy to read， the second can become a bit of a drag。 Important piece of writing nevertheless that deserves a read。
Vivek Tejuja
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Once again， Amitav Ghosh shows us the mirror。 On perhaps every single page。 It is really up to us if we want to see it or not。 He speaks about climate change with an urgency that is pervasive throughout the book。 He doesn’t cut corners and tells it like it is。 The Nutmeg’s Curse begins with how colonialism and imperialism has been responsible for mass exterminations of indigenous communities， of course to serve their own means， whose end is only greed。 It then moves on to talk about capitalism b Once again， Amitav Ghosh shows us the mirror。 On perhaps every single page。 It is really up to us if we want to see it or not。 He speaks about climate change with an urgency that is pervasive throughout the book。 He doesn’t cut corners and tells it like it is。 The Nutmeg’s Curse begins with how colonialism and imperialism has been responsible for mass exterminations of indigenous communities， of course to serve their own means， whose end is only greed。 It then moves on to talk about capitalism being a culprit when it comes to large scale environmental damages leading to the climate change crisis at hand。 Only Amitav Ghosh can trace climate change to the 17th century and make it clear for us how it isn’t much of a recent phenomenon。 The book speaks of how the Western world looked at the earth only as a resource giver and not someone with life and maybe that’s why they could never understand nature the way indigenous communities did and continue doing so。 Placing the humble nutmeg at the center of this book， Ghosh explains portrayal of human greed， lust for power， and the convenience with which most people don’t even consider climate change crisis as crisis。 They just think it is a matter of slight inconvenience。 The Nutmeg’s Curse takes the reader back and forth – through various centuries， to enable the understanding of what also can be done to perhaps work with the situation。 Ghosh’s writing is incisive， comes from a place of great wisdom and perspective， and more than anything else it is urgent。 You can almost hear the tone of emergency in his sentences and chapters。 Ghosh through this book and the ones written in the past on the climate is himself trying to search for answers。 The Nutmeg’s Curse is real， scary even， but also hopeful at the end of it all。 。。。more
Bart
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The story Ghosh tells is often appalling， sickening in its portrayal of human cruelty， and frightening in what it says about the daunting challenges we face to achieve a just world through coming decades。 It is also enlightening and， in the end， hopeful。Full review:https://www。resilience。org/stories/20。。。 The story Ghosh tells is often appalling， sickening in its portrayal of human cruelty， and frightening in what it says about the daunting challenges we face to achieve a just world through coming decades。 It is also enlightening and， in the end， hopeful。Full review:https://www。resilience。org/stories/20。。。 。。。more
Raman
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One of the best books I have read in recent times， well researched and analyzed and needles to say well written， very impressed with the concepts detailed in this book， strongly recommended for the present generation， Waiting for his next book
Subhadipmajumdar
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"To this day nobody knows what transpired in Selamon on that April night， in the year 1621， except that a lamp fell to the floor in the buildings where Martin Sonck， a Dutch official was billeted。"Before the 18th C， every single nutmeg in the world originated around a group of small volcanic islands east of Java， known as the Banda islands。 Ghosh argues that the nutmeg's violent trajectory decides the bloody fate of a threat to our present day。This book justifies the colonial mindset and the exp "To this day nobody knows what transpired in Selamon on that April night， in the year 1621， except that a lamp fell to the floor in the buildings where Martin Sonck， a Dutch official was billeted。"Before the 18th C， every single nutmeg in the world originated around a group of small volcanic islands east of Java， known as the Banda islands。 Ghosh argues that the nutmeg's violent trajectory decides the bloody fate of a threat to our present day。This book justifies the colonial mindset and the exploration of human life and the natural environment， which dominates geopolitics to this day。The Undoubted Masterpiece of Amitav Ghosh and the most needed Book in this Cursed Time！Amitav Ghosh has been my favorite author for a long time and each book shows his versatile genius and the depth of his knowledge。 Now with " Nutmegs" he has written the entire history of colonialism and how trade through the centuries affected the Climate in large and how it was poisoned by the greed ， power， lust of the Colonists be it Dutch， English or French。A remarkable book， spell bounding starting from Banda Islands east of Java ， a volcanic Island that falls on the same archipelago that starts from Chile in the east。Amitav Ghosh with his masterly power of storytelling， wrote it in a breath taking lucid ， easy， descriptive way with well researched accurate details which as a student of History enriched me。 Who ever knew that nutmegs will one day lead to this world of climate change where pandemic and Black Lives matter protests。Ghosh also searches for an answer which could be one of the ways to save this planet and with it， US， the HUMANS。Attachments area 。。。more
Kirti Upreti
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Undoubtedly the most important and powerful book of the year。Yet again， Amitav Ghosh strikes at the very heart of the global narrative and our understanding of the climate emergency。 He challenges the myth of modernity， shifts the spotlight from capitalism as the primary culprit， and takes you on a mind-bending journey across space and time。The glorified traditions of omnicide， the moral vindication sought through religion throught history， the morbid individualism imbibed as a virtue， the irres Undoubtedly the most important and powerful book of the year。Yet again， Amitav Ghosh strikes at the very heart of the global narrative and our understanding of the climate emergency。 He challenges the myth of modernity， shifts the spotlight from capitalism as the primary culprit， and takes you on a mind-bending journey across space and time。The glorified traditions of omnicide， the moral vindication sought through religion throught history， the morbid individualism imbibed as a virtue， the irresistible vanity of racial， classist and casteist heirarchies， and the human audacity to claim victory over Nature - there's not a point where Mr。 Ghosh doesn't show you the mirror。The much berated traditions of indigenous and pagan cultures to see Nature as a living entity are finally here to bite us back: thus speaks the humble nutmeg。 。。。more
Roy Scranton
，