Dark Laboratory

Groundbreaking . . . In a narrative spanning hundreds of years, thousands of miles and successive waves of colonial driven migration, Goffe charts the development of the modern western ideology that has come to dominate the world

Groundbreaking . . . In a narrative spanning hundreds of years, thousands of miles and successive waves of colonial driven migration, Goffe charts the development of the modern western ideology that has come to dominate the world

Noble and necessary . . . Goffe’s ear is tuned to songs of resistance, to what it looks like to make life amid (and after) colonial subjugation

Ambitious . . . This is an urgent and frequently grim work, but it is also hopeful . . . Goffe is relentlessly engaging, leaving the academy’s dusty archives, and traveling from Jamaica to Sardinia, Hong Kong to Hawai‘i, to discover better ways to live

A necessary, much needed cri de coeur, a thoroughly compelling book about the climate crisis and the Caribbean region. Dark Laboratory is utterly unique to read; it is punch the air, punch in the gut, heart palpitations thrilling. Goffe isn't just a scholar of the current climate emergency but a poet and a feminist who joins the dots . . . Every page is mixed with heart and conviction. Mandatory reading on climate and the Caribbean region

A powerful and tender and inspiring journey through time, landscapes and ideas that shape our understanding of the origins of climate breakdown and futures we can and must realise

Spinning off in unexpected and creative directions . . . new possibilities emerge in the collision of ideas, including the hopeful possibility of healing and restoration . . . the constant divergences and convergences of the text are entirely deliberate – an apt way of showing how racial inequality runs like mycellium through the story of climate. This is a book about interconnections, about allowing different lines of thought to cross-pollinate each other

In reframing the Anthropocene as a continuation of colonial practices, Goffe positions climate justice as a form of historical redress. Within this framing, domestic emissions targets and carbon budgets alone cannot account for centuries of ecological debt. Instead, Goffe invites us to see climate action as a decolonial project – one that requires transforming not only economies but also systems of knowledge, memory, and belonging

[An] ambitious account . . . [ Dark Laboratory ] jumps from Jamaica to Hong Kong, Dominica and London to trace the origins of our global environmental collapse while questioning dominant narratives about scientific rationalism, invasive species and more

An ambitious book both in scale and depth . . . [Goffe's] skilled judgement with a well-placed turn of phrase and ability to effortlessly hopscotch between historical fact, her personal experiences, and the present crisis we face combine to make a compelling read . . . It takes a strong and confident writer to take something most people never think about like the introduction of the Mongoose to Jamaica and think to herself not only am I going to devote an entire chapter to it, but I’m going to make it fascinating

A comprehensive, evidence-led study of the impact of colonialism . . . Goffe powerfully argues that racism lies at the foundation of the climate crisis and that the Caribbean has been systematically asset stripped for Western ‘trophy hunters’ . . . Goffe urges a new narrative that empowers communities long oppressed, and which can be used as a powerful guide to help adapt to and mitigate the climate and ecological crisis

Tao Leigh Goffe is an award-winning writer, theorist, and interdisciplinary artist who grew up between London and New York. She is Associate Professor at the City University of New York and the founder of Dark Laboratory, a climate research organization which focuses on the study of race, technology and ecology. Tao lives and works in Manhattan. Dark Laboratory is her first book.