The Reform of Utopia

This book argues that a reform of utopia which challenges neo-liberalism without attempting to revive the authoritarianism of the Old Left can contribute to contemporary social reform. This reform of utopia rejects any unified account of utopia and breaks with the perfectionism and futurism of modern utopian thought. It develops a 'decentered utopianism', which has no single unified and totalising ethical vision. A decentered utopianism does not suggest that utopianism is the answer. Instead, it takes it for granted that different utopias conflict, and do not tend to a future unity. In contrast to modern European utopianism, a decentered utopianism seeks to show that utopian perspectives and practices can contribute to social, cultural and political reform without promoting totalising mentalities. It does not propose a totalising form of 'critique', but aims instead to enrich democratic discussion and debate.