Environmental Challenges in Contemporary Society: A Critical Study of Samira Shackle’s Karachi Vice (2021)

Abstract

This research explores the intricate correlation between industrialization and the risks confronted by contemporary society. It examines environmental catastrophes as an outcome of advanced technology and the global community through the analytical reading of Karachi Vice by Samira Shackle (2021). This research is grounded in the theoretical framework of global risk society that was primarily proposed by Ulrich Beck (1992) and was further explored by Anthony Giddens (1990). It examines how globalization and industrialization have exposed society to deadly, worldwide risks. Though globalization allows easy access to people through goods and ideas across borders, its hazards are nonetheless globally disseminated. These risks are the aftermath of industrialization and are mainly manmade rather than natural. Environmental deterioration is one of the risks that arise from intricate and interrelated mechanisms, directly being caused by a single, identifiable source. These risks, which included environmental deterioration, technological catastrophes, and the dangers associated with the production and consumption of goods, were closely linked to the industrial processes themselves. The hazards of risky society are no longer confined to local boundaries; instead, They have a global impact. Owing to its boomerang effect, no nation can escape from them no matter how technologically advanced it is. This study investigates Shackle’s dystopian depiction of Karachi in Karachi Vice (2021) as a microcosm of the global risk society since it is a metropolitan city and a hub of economic activities and global risks. Environmental degradation has escalated the risk factors in contemporary society due to industrialization, entrenched in globalization.