Searching for Utopia: The History of an Idea

Research output: Book/ReportBook

Abstract

This book surveys the influence of the idea of utopia on history, literature, art, architecture, religion and social and political thought from the ancient world to the present. It examines early myths of non-existent islands and positive as well as negative spaces, archetypes of heaven and hell, creation myths, voyages of discovery, the impact of utopianism on the age of revolution, communitarian movements throughout the ages, science fiction, ecological utopias and dystopias, the the prospects for the future development of the genre. It includes some non-western utopian strands, and unusually, makes the claim that utopia can be conceived of as a viable, realistic strand in social and political thinking.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationLondon
PublisherThames & Hudson
Number of pages224
ISBN (Print)978-0-500-25174-4
Publication statusPublished - 2011

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