Filozofska istraživanja, Vol. 29 No. 3, 2009.
Original scientific paper
Utopia and Its Contributions to the Contemporary Studies of Gender
Ana Maskalan
orcid.org/0000-0001-9969-1507
; Institute for Social Research, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
This article discusses the concept and history of utopia with an emphasis on the modern forms of gender utopias. Although it can be said that utopian thought is inherent to humans, today the word ‘utopia’ is generally used in a pejorative meaning of an illusion and/or political concept whose actualization necessarily leads to some form of totalitarianism. These assumptions originated from etymological, historical and conceptional dilemmas associated with utopian theoretical and practical realizations. Describing utopia in terms of critique, hope and imagination as well as linking it with the concept of Mannheim’s active utopia it is possible to find in it elements that can be used for dealing with modern gender and ecological problems. As an example are given feminist utopias in which were tested different gender theories and practices and were suggested solutions for creating not ideal or completed but improved worlds, that is, worlds that allow improvement.
Keywords
utopia; utopianism; active utopia; feminist utopia; science fiction
Hrčak ID:
46139
URI
Publication date:
22.10.2009.
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