Utopia and Democracy
Op-eds in this series draw on presentations delivered at the conference held under the same title on July 3 to 5, 2024, at the CEU Democracy Institute.
Utopia and Democracy
How Does Planting Trees Strengthen the Roots of Democracy – Or Does It?
At first it may seem that planting trees serves the environment regardless of party or political affiliation, but this procedure has not been an innocent act of nature conservation for a long time. As a striking example, Boehi (2015, p.71) humorously cites Margaret Thatcher’s case who participated in a 10-minute tree-planting procedure between a 50-minute TV-interview and an 80-minute lunch in Canberra, Australia. In the case of trees planted by politicians, suddenly everything becomes symbolic: who plants with whom, when, where, what species, and how. It is not even a coincidence what happens to the tree years later. Virtual tree plantings that can never be fulfilled, which are increasingly common today, are usually just promises of an ongoing political campaign.
22.11.2024
Utopia and Democracy
War is Peace – Trajectories of Failed Utopias in Eastern European Public Spaces
The political and cultural revival of Cold War narratives, the resurgence of authoritarian tendencies and, more recently, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and Donald Trump’s liaison with Hungarian far-right policymakers is drawing renewed scholarly and public attention to the Central and Eastern European region. A common characteristic of post-1989 far-right movements in Central and Eastern Europe is the strong anti-communist ideology, which remains prominent in their rhetoric. These movements not only oppose contemporary leftist formations and anti-fascist movements but also reject the legacy of socialism – while recycling elements of the latter’s organizational strategies.
15.11.2024
Utopia and Democracy
Insurgent Utopia: A Means for Transformation
As universities face increasing neoliberal pressures, they must choose between passive complicity or transformative action. By embracing Paulo Freire’s concept of inédito viável—untested viability—and the framework of insurgent utopia, inspired by movements like the MST, universities can reclaim their potential as catalysts for radical societal transformation.
8.11.2024
Utopia and Democracy
J.M. Coetzee’s Jesus Trilogy as Meta-utopia or A Possibility for Democratic Thinking after Authoritarian Cultures
Meta-utopia could serve as a literary indicator of change in post-authoritarian cultures. Its presence exposes a space where every idea is subverted and where skeptical relativism is encouraged opposing any form of universalism following a great sense of betrayal and loss of faith in familiar socio-political forms.
17.10.2024
Utopia and Democracy
How Utopia Is Incompatible with Democracy
In times of crisis we seem to long for utopia, or at least for utopian solutions. This should not be surprising today, especially in the face of pandemics, wars and climate change: The desire for something perfect, for something that will solve our problems, that can give us hope and make us dream for a better future, seems attractive even if it is unreachable. But why must it be unreachable? Can we not maybe will it into being? Can we not maybe design a world that is better, that is more just, that is more fulfilling? Can’t we turn a maybe into a certainty?
25.09.2024
Utopia and Democracy
How to Avoid a Digital Dystopia in the Era of Social Media?
Within a very short period of time, a utopian vision of social media as a liberating technology, capable of creating a new form of direct, participatory democracy, has given way to a pessimistic, even catastrophic outlook. Understanding and channeling the power of the current communication revolution is crucial for restoring the transformative and democratic potential of online platforms.
20.09.2024
