Guest Editorial—Reimagining the Future: Utopian Perspectives [PDF]
Raylene Abdilla, Elise Billiard, Kathrin Schödel: University of Malta
‘I want to take my story straight to Utopia’: An Interview with Gregory Norman Bossert [PDF]
Teodor Reljić: Independent Researcher
The Possibility of Another Island: Utopian Discourse in the Age of Dystopia [PDF]
Dirk Hoyer: Tallinn University
More than 500 years after the publication of Utopia, the idea of islands with a different kind of society has taken a dystopian turn. Whereas Thomas More’s book can be interpreted as a reaction to the enclosure and the birth of early capitalism, in the contemporary framework utopian thinking is marginalised despite the shortcomings of the current political and economic arrangements. As the example of Nauru demonstrates, the neoliberal exploitation of resources—whether through the exploitation of the soil, offshore banking or the offshore processing of refugees—might altogether lead to evanescence. This article attempts to demonstrate that the current dystopianism, as also exemplified by Michel Houellebecq’s novel The Possibility of an Island, is not counterbalanced by a utopianism that is not merely contemplative or an ou-topianism that fosters fatalism. Melville’s Bartleby, as interpreted by Agamben, is still an influential image of resistance—but his passive attitude to potentiality can be contrasted with the energy of utopian socialists such as Barthélemy Prosper Enfantin, who established intentional communities in the 19th century. In light of the Naurusation of the possibility of another island, the question is whether the “There is No Alternative” doctrine has to be reassessed in the context of eu-topian approaches, with utopian mental images and a concrete idea of political agency.
Open Utopia: A Horizon for Left Unity [PDF]
Alexander Riccio: Oregon State University
Sectarianism is a consistent hallmark of the Left. In particular, many debates revolve around the question of how to make a successful revolution. This essay seeks to build a stronger, more united idea of the Left by engaging the concepts of revolution and utopia. I have categorised two prominent and seemingly dualistic perspectives within the Left, ones which are also revolutionary. I label these the “strategic” and “prefigurative” camps. Both camps have harboured conceptions of utopia which have served as roadmaps for their respective theories on revolutionary transition, and by charting these conceptual developments in utopian thinking I offer a different roadmap which leads to an open utopia. Open utopia offers the possibility of a methodological synthesis which can bridge the strategic and prefigurative pulses of the Left, where the hard analysis and focus on end goals emphasised by strategic proponents is woven together with the importance of process and alternative institutions (recognized as vital by prefigurative proponents). I name this methodology the radical imagination, and by employing this methodological frame onto Leftist social movement activity I conclude that we can bridge a fractious Left by embracing a revolutionary project aimed at an open utopia.
Uncivilising the Future: Imagining Non-Speciesism [PDF]
Michelle Westerlaken: Malmö University
We live in a world where animals are killed and abused in numbers that are entirely beyond comprehension. This killing is ubiquitous and omnipresent, and yet largely invisible to most people. Once we come to the realisation that the normalisation of animal oppression is something that we oppose, envisioning futures that abandon “speciesism” requires an almost unimaginable rethinking of our current society. Yet, resistance and alternative practices do exist. These forces consist of alternative opinions, attitudes, practices, senses, meanings, and values which are not considered to be the norm; however, these can somehow still be accommodated and tolerated within a particularly effective and dominant culture. In this modest approach towards non-speciesist utopias that invites serious moral consideration of animals as the most marginalised beings of all, I aim to bring those under-emphasised, hidden, and alternative perspectives to light in order to make them more valid and more real as practices that counter hegemony. By paying attention to existing philosophies, personal experiences, emotional accounts, and shared thoughts, this text highlights alternatives and possibilities for artists (or others) to imagine and shape futures that are utopian—not just for humans, but for animals as well.
The Utopianism of Human Enhancement: Impacting our Present through Images of the Future [PDF]
Jason Branford: LMU Munich
This article explores the idea that the desirability of human enhancement stems from the utopianism of human existence and argues that the “human enhancement movement” (HEM) should be understood as a utopian pursuit that impacts both the individual and society in distinct ways. Here, it is argued that the utopian character of HEM is not faithfully realised if it fails to improve life in both the individual and social sense. In particular, it is here highlighted that utopia entails a certain ‘perpetuality’ in both instances, defined as a ‘persistent utopia’ by Miguel Abensour. This illustrates the enduring value of utopian thinking within the discussion on human enhancement. Through this, it is argued, we are able to both appreciate the desirability of HEM and then reconstitute and re-articulate the kind of change sought through HEM as inextricably social and socially-advancing. In so doing, HEM accommodates and supports (or should be understood as doing so) the continuous push for progress, or “betterment”, thereby shedding light on the inadequacies of human society. Moreover, it is postulated that HEM aims to develop both individuals and society writ large through a reciprocal and interminable cycle of influence which should be acknowledged and nurtured. The conclusion is that images of an enhanced human future instilled through HEM—undoubtedly utopian images—can have a direct and positive, policy shaping impact on the progression of human societies and its institutions. This focus should reshape the debate on enhancement.
The Body as an Alternative: Space for Utopia [PDF]
Francesca Borg Taylor-East: University of Malta
This article questions whether the body can be seen as a sacred space, and if so, whether the body as a sacred space can be considered as an alternative space for utopia. Throughout this essay, I approach phenomenology in order to conceptualise the spatiality of the body. I then move on to discuss whether this spatiality can take on the sacred: firstly, by identifying what is meant by “sacred”, and, secondly, through the work of the religious historian Mircea Eliade, wherein he discusses religious phenomena, the believer’s experience, and the sacred. I explore the work of Mary Douglas, who provides insight on the body as a symbol as well as on the rituals surrounding the corporeal body. Once the body’s spatiality is established as being able to take on the dimension of the sacred, I then shift attention towards the idea of utopia, examining this through Vincent Geoghenhan’s work, arguing that if the body’s spatiality may take on the sacred, then it will also have utopian traces rooted in ideology. I conclude by answering my initial question of whether the body, or bodily symbolism, can manifest or mirror utopian ideals.
Humanitarianism: Between Realism and Utopia [PDF]
Lars Löfquist: Uppsala University
The main claim in this article is that humanitarianism can be depicted as an attempt at establishing a realistic utopia. This is supported by a comparison between More’s Utopia and Dunant’s A Memory of Solferino. Despite the differences in style and context, both authors demonstrate a sensitive understanding of human nature and war. They both show that war should be conducted in a way that reduces suffering. Several of their ideas that seemed far-fetched at the time have entered the political mainstream. This, in turn, demonstrates that some visions of utopia can turn out to be practical. Dunant’s text illustrates this by making concrete proposals that brought about long-lasting changes in the way war is carried out. Despite coming short of abolishing war, his text presents a realistic utopia that broadened ideas around what may be politically possible.
Utopia in Adversity: At the Borders of the European Project [PDF]
Raylene Abdilla: University of Malta
The European Union (EU) was envisaged as a bureaucratic cosmopolitan utopia aiming at restoring peace and economic prosperity between European peoples in the aftermath of the Second World War. The aim of this paper is to critically engage with the current institutional framework and political developments of the EU and its Member States and to offer a utopian counter-discourse to the current rise of right-wing populist discourses pervading EU politics. In order to achieve this, in the first part of the paper I will delve into what I mean by “utopia” following James D. Ingram’s and Chantal Mouffe’s work. In particular, my contention will be that utopian politics is an open-ended struggle which demands that the realm of politics facilitates contestations between “adversaries” in a democratic context. Furthermore, I will posit that where political institutions fail to bring about just and democratic processes, the people have the right and responsibility to demand change through civil mobilisation and alternative ways of resistance, through what Bonnie Honig calls an agonistic cosmopolitcs. The second part of this essay tackles two case studies of the political reactions of Greece and the UK in the face of the current hegemonic and technocratic character of the EU. The third part then deals with the cosmopolitan traces (or lack thereof) which are inherent in the EU institutional frameworks in lieu of the development of the unprecedented immigration crisis. Finally, I conclude by giving insights on how the EU needs to develop into an agonistic cosmopolitan polity.
