Rethinking Utopia is a collection that discusses utopian thinking in relation to different philosophical themes. It seeks utopianism in political theory (particularly in Kant and Derrida), populism, Turkish Islamism, international law, and it fleshes out themes of modernism and classless society in the selected utopian examples. By discussing and showing the relationship between utopia and these topics, the book shows that the range of subjects related to utopias is wider than the current literature suggests. The book attempts to bring together academic fields, which are not cross-fertilized in the existing debates on utopia, by building bridges between actual politics and futuristic visions. On the one hand, it looks at utopia as a means to think about and reconfigure contemporary politics (as in the case of international law and populist politics); on the other hand, it investigates how different philosophical/literary texts, from widely-known More and Le Guin to lesser-known Turkish Islamists Kisakurek, Karakoc and OEzel, imagine their distinct utopian vision where a new form of anarchist, classless or Islamist society could be possible.
Ebru Deniz Ozan is currently a faculty member at Kutahya Dumlupinar University, Department of Political Science and International Relations.
Part I Chapter 1: Utopia as Free Play by Hayrettin OEzler Chapter 2: The Search for a Better Place: Populist and Utopian Redemption by Volkan Gul Chapter 3: Utopia and The Law of Humanity: An International Humanitarian Law Perspective by Ramazan Guresci Part II Chapter 4: Modernism in Thomas More's Utopia by Suleyman Sidal Chapter 5: The Classless Society in Ursula K. Le Guin's Utopia: Always Coming Home by Ebru Deniz Ozan Chapter 6: Turkish Islamism and Utopia: Collating the Works of Necip Fazil Kisakurek, Sezai Karakoc, and Ismet OEzel by Ertugrul Zengin
An updated and original revision of the utopian theoretical tradition. -- Aylin Topal, Middle East Technical University As a well-known saying in the field of utopian studies, one person's utopia is another one's dystopia; and if you want to lessen the gap between the two, it is equally important to concentrate on the necessity of a kind of utopian thinking. An equally broad and egalitarian utopian imaginary can only overcome the dystopian reality. In this contemporary dystopian world in which we all live, studies and critical thought on utopian politics are a necessity for achieving a better world. With Ozan's far-reaching edition, readers will get involved with the relationship between political theory, social class, international law, and utopian literature. In every section of this book, the writers continually remind us that if you do not have a utopia, you are destined to live in your own dystopia. A must-read primer for anyone thinking of the possibility of a better tomorrow. -- Sinan Yildirmaz, Istanbul University
