Utopian studies
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Utopian studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that researches utopianism in all its forms, including utopian politics, utopian literature and art, utopian theory, and intentional communities. In his 1516 book Utopia, Sir Thomas More coined the term. Utopian studies can be subdivided into three major areas: study of utopian works, communitarianism and utopian social theory.[1] A study opposite to Utopian studies is Dystopian studies. While Utopias are non-existent societies people dream of, dystopias are essentially non-existent and non-desirable societies that individuals deem worse than their present society.[1] They are also known as negative utopias.[1]
Denis Vairasse is mentioned among the earliest scholars in this field.[1] His History of the Sevarambians contains one of the first thoughts on theoretical reflection on the concept of utopia: "Those who have read Plato's Republic or the Utopia of Thomas More or Chancellor Bacon's New Atlantis, which are in fact nothing more than the ingenious inventions ["imaginations"] of these authors, may think perhaps that this account of newly discovered countries, with all their marvels, is of a similar type ["sont de ce genre"]."[1]
As a part of the counterculture of the 1960s, there was a revival of utopian works.[1] The Society for Utopian Studies was founded in 1975 and the Utopian Studies Society was founded in 1988.
Significant utopian studies scholars (in roughly chronological order)
- Philosopher Herbert Marcuse
- Sociologist Karl Mannheim
- Philosopher Ernst Bloch
- Sociologist Krishnan Kumar
- Cultural critic Raymond Williams
- Literary critic Darko Suvin
- Political scientist Lyman Tower Sargent
- Political scientist Gregory Claeys
- Sociologist Erik Olin Wright
- Sociologist Ruth Levitas
- Literary critic Tom Moylan
- Literary critic Fredric Jameson
- Lucy Sargisson
- Vincent Geoghegan
- Raffaella Baccolini
Principal research institutions, journals, conferences, societies, awards
Research institutions:
| Name | Location | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Ralahine Centre for Utopian Studies | University of Limerick | [2] |
| Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures | University of Bologna | [3] |
| Interdepartmental Center for Utopian Studies | University of Lecce | [4] |
Societies:
- Society for Utopian Studies (North America, founded 1975)
- Utopian Studies Society (Europe, founded 1988)
Journals:
- Utopian Studies (founded 1987)
Conferences:
- Society for Utopian Studies, annual
- Utopian Studies Society, annual
Awards:
- The Lyman Tower Sargent Distinguished Scholar Award, made by the Society for Utopian Studies.
