Collapsed Mythologies: A Geofinancial Atlas

Decoding etymologies of financial jargon both real and imagined This book examines slang terms used by traders and other financial professionals, transporting us to a landscape both real and supernatural. It is heavily indebted to The Geofinancial Lexicon (Abstract Supply, 2021), edited by Jack Clarke and Sami Hammana, who collect terms that allude to the materiality of finance, or what they call "geofinance," all deriving from the online glossary of the Financial Times. In Collapsed Mythologies, authors Eline Benjaminsen and Dayna Casey expand upon this lexicon with new terms added from multiple sources including financial glossaries (such as Investopedia) as well as conversations with financial workers and people active in the cryptoverse. In the space between what these terms mean and the ecological world they refer to, Benjaminsen and Casey detect a rich mythological history. Unpacking this seductive language reveals the absurd (super)natural "fictions" that materially and violently shape our worldly ecology.