Publication

Abstract : This article explores the psychosocial development of resourcefulness in Anthropocene adolescents through child focalisation in select novels. By examining how adolescent protagonists navigate a climate-ravaged world, the study sheds light on the ways in which the acquisition and application of resourcefulness is shaped by the interplay of the inner and outer world as well as their affective interactions. The study positions children as agentic forces thereby challenging dominant cultural perceptions of them as a liability in the context of climate change. The study draws from Jaclene Zauszniewski’s theory of resourcefulness and quality of life and psychosocial concepts from Kath Woodward’s book Psychosocial Studies to focus on personal and social resourcefulness, showing how high and low resourcefulness impact the adolescents’ quality of life. The article analyses four American climate fictions – The New Wilderness by Diane Cook, A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet, American War by Omar El Akkad and The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi – as source material to study the non-binary nature of psychosocial resourcefulness and the role of affect in shaping resourcefulness skills. The study argues that resourcefulness is a dynamic psychosocial process, vulnerable to environmental stressors and affective experiences instead of a fixed trait.