Rethinking Utopia Today

Why we are tracing utopia...

In an ever-more globalized world, progressing urbanization and increasingly contested

public space the need for a common understanding of human values and a mature

society as a whole becomes essential. The rapidly transforming and immensely growing

cities are challenged by privatization and socio-structural transformations. These

developments have influenced society to rethink the relation between the individual

and society, the private and the public.

The idea of the ideal land – Utopia – has been preoccupying theoreticians as well as artist

in divers cultural contexts for centuries. The 500th anniversary of Thomas More`s

publication and his idea of a republic's best state as the new island Utopia, as well as Ernst

Bloch’s paradigmatic trilogy “The Principle of Hope” that was penned against the

background of World War II indicate a desire to rethink the very fundaments of society

throughout history and across cultures.

Today more than ever, clashing political and social concepts present a globally disputed

challenge. Thus, discussing and creating an idea of Utopia today is far from artistic or

academic escapism into a perfect world. On the contrary: engaging Utopia means a

continuous criticism of the present conditions, to fathom the question of how to shape

modern society and how we want to live today.

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