Folge 74: Worst Case Scenario: The Politics of Prepping in America

With a pandemic behind us, an increasing number of natural
disasters, and an ongoing war in Europe, many of us have probably
asked ourselves whether and how we can prepare for a worst case
scenario. Lately, we have been hearing more about preparedness
from our governments, about stocking up on water, food, and
flashlight batteries. On this episode of the HCA podcast, Anja
Schüler talks to political scientists Robert Kirsch and Emily
Ray. They are studying the way Americans prepare for doomsday,
mainly looking at the Cold War era, but also exploring the
historical roots of prepping as well as current contexts. Emily
Ray (Sonoma State University) and Robert Kirsch (Arizona State
University) are both currently scholars at the Käte Hamburger
Centre for Apocalyptic and Postapocalyptic Studies (CAPAS) at
Heidelberg University.