Climate Refugees and ‘Negative Solidarity’ in Tim Jones’ Where We Land

Jones’ novella Where We Land belongs to the CLI-FI genre and envisages what might happen in New Zealand if a mass of climate refugees from Asia or Oceania should illegally arrive. The author describes a situation similar to the so-called “journeys of hope” occurring in the Mediterranean Sea. The refugees’ boat is attacked by the NZ Navy frigate torpedoes and the few survivals who succeed in landing have to confront armed shore patrols of citizens defending their own territories from the ‘invaders’. Official government propaganda, sense of the ‘nation’ and hate for foreign immigrants intertwine in the story to depict a society with no sense of solidarity or positive affect. The book catches the spirit of ‘negative solidarity’ rising in neoliberal countries, characterized by isolated competitive relations within populist political projects. By analysing Jones’ story, the article shows how neoliberalism destroys the conditions for collective action and collective decision.