Elements for a theory of Utopia production

Why, in a given society, at a given point of its history, do some individuals design idealized forms of social organization? While utopian studies have focused on analyzing the content of utopias, addressing definitional issues, or understanding the role of utopias in social change, this article proposes to examine the very production of utopias. This production is conceptualized as the “intersection” between the social trajectory of a utopia producer and the social context in which this production takes place. It compares nineteen in-depth case studies of classical and contemporary utopian texts in order to formulate five areas of investigation: (1) the political trajectory of the utopia producer, (2) the cultural and social capital of the producer, (3) “class distance” expressed through the utopian content, (4) the operations through which the utopian content is generated, and (5) the concepts of “utopian niches” and “utopian chains.” It is argued that this account can provide a sociological model to understand utopia production and the rise of dystopia production over the course of the twentieth century.