[Discussion] CFP Anarchism and Utopianism - collection of essays

[gpultar@cstgroup.org]

Anarchism and Utopianism

We extend this call for papers to authors from all disciplines interested in
contributing to a proposed edited collection of essays on *Anarchism and
Utopianism*.

The history of the relationship between anarchism and utopianism is marked by
ambivalence. On the one hand, many classical anarchist thinkers such as Bakunin
and Kropotkin repeatedly emphasized the “scientific” character of
their social philosophy in an effort to distance themselves from the charge of
utopianism. Likewise, most utopian authors have tended to emulate the
state-centred utopian model propagated by Plato and More rather than the more
libertarian example of de Foigny, Diderot, and Morris. On the other hand, a
number of more contemporary anarchist utopian writers have explicitly questioned
the mutual exclusivity of anarchism and utopianism. Herbert Read, for example,
vigorously defended libertarian utopian thinking in his book *Anarchy and
Order*, Paul Goodman consistently championed a pragmatic form of utopianism that
had a tremendous influence on the counter-culture of the 1960s, and Ursula K. Le
Guin published in 1974 the first-ever anarchist utopia. Far from being merely of
literary or historical interest, related elements of both the anarchist and
utopian traditions have continued to inspire and inform a range of contemporary
radical social movements, including global anti-capitalism, ecologism, feminism,
pacifism, post-colonialism, and black, gay, and indigenous liberation.

In *Anarchism and Utopianism*, the first collection of original essays devoted
to an assessment of the relationship between these two important traditions, we
aim to fill a significant gap in the scholarly literature and to encourage
further reflection on the as yet untapped revolutionary potential of anarchist
utopianism. We welcome papers that address any aspect of the subject, whether
the focus is philosophical (for example, to what extent and in what precise ways
are anarchist and utopian ideas compatible?), literary (anarchism and utopianism
in the work of Morris, Wilde, or Le Guin, for instance; what might an anarchist
society look and feel like?), historical (the legacy of anarchist utopianism in
the Paris Commune, the Spanish Revolution, the May 1968 uprisings, etc.),
sociological (anarchist utopian perspectives on work, consumerism, war, gender,
sexuality, race, education, art, spirituality, technology, and ecology),
anthropological (what can anarchist utopians learn from actually existing
stateless and marketless societies? does the idea of primitivism have a role to
play in the construction of anarchist utopias?), or political (the relationship
of means to ends, and anarchist utopianism as revolutionary practice and vital
response to some of the most pressing problems of the contemporary world).

If you are interested in contributing to the volume, please e-mail to both of
the editors by January 7, 2006 an essay title, c. 500-word proposal, and a very
brief list of your relevant publications. Note that contributors to the
collection may also have the opportunity – subject to the final approval
of the USSE conference programme chair – to present their work at the
Seventh Annual Conference of the Utopian Studies Society Europe, to be held in
July 2006 in the historical port city of Tarragona, Spain.

Dr. Laurence Davis:
Laurence Davis has taught political theory at Oxford University and University
College Dublin, and is the editor (with Peter Stillman) of *The New Utopian
Politics of Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed* (Lexington Books, 2005).
E-mail: ldavis@oceanfree.net

Dr. Ruth Kinna:
Ruth Kinna, Senior Lecturer in Politics at Loughborough University, UK, is the
author of *Anarchism: A Beginner’s Guide* (Oneworld, 2005). E-mail:
r.e.kinna@lboro.ac.uk


Dr.Ruth Kinna
Department of Politics, International Relations, and European Studies
Loughborough University
LE11 3TU
U.K.

Email: r.e.kinna@lboro.ac.uk