Reclaiming Rage as Utopian Force: Exploring a Latin American Ecodystopia

Federica Moscatelli

doi:10.13125/2039-6597/6618

Federica Moscatelli University of Bologna

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13125/2039-6597/6618

Keywords: Ecodystopia, Anarchic rage, Power structures, Social exclusion, Collective resistance, Political critique, Ecological crisis

Abstract

Long dismissed as irrational and destructive, rage emerges in the context of contemporary social and environmental crises as a vehicle of resistance and a catalyst for transformation. This paper explores the role of rage as a collective utopian force in Michel Nieva’s La infancia del mundo (2023), focusing on the character of the dengue child. Initially marginalized, silenced, and reduced to a discarded being, the dengue child represents a figure of social exclusion and systemic violence. The narrative traces the character’s journey from passivity and vulnerability to self-determined agency and a radical redefinition of their identity. In contrast to the dominant forms of violence that uphold power structures, the dengue child’s rage manifests as a counter-hegemonic force — an anarchic and collective rebellion against established norms. This paper emphasizes that, far from being destructive, rage holds the potential to reconfigure societal and environmental relations by offering a critique of the technocapitalist order and opening the door to alternative political imaginaries.

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