printAn Apology for Utopia:
Come Back of Utopian Constructions to the Mainstream Sociological Theorizing
Grigoreva E.A.
Junior Researcher of the Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS, Moscow, Russia yreewda@gmail.com
Grigoreva E.A. An Apology for Utopia: Come Back of Utopian Constructions to the Mainstream Sociological Theorizing. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2024. No 4. P. 139-147
Utopian thought, the aspiration toward idealized conditions, and the progression toward advancement have historically constituted a cornerstone of the modernist ethos. Sociology, as an intellectual offspring of the modern epoch, has inherently engaged with utopian constructs – directing its gaze towards conceivable societal futures. In the current era where global challenges – such as climate change, social inequality, and populist political movements – present complex social problems, the relevance of utopian thinking in sociology is underscored as a tool for envisioning transformative solutions. Nonetheless, contemporary developments within the discipline signal a marked attenuation of utopian fervor. This paper scrutinizes the factors contributing to the diminished enthusiasm for utopian speculations within sociological theory. The decline is largely attributed to a shift towards postmodern paradigms, characterized by skepticism towards grand narratives and a pervasive mid-20thcentury critique of utopianism. Despite this, the heuristic value of utopian thinking as a methodological instrument for social analysis remains substantial. The central thesis advocates for a resurgence of utopian thought within sociological inquiry, proposing that its restoration functions as a potent critical apparatus. Amid pressing societal crises, sociological engagement with utopian ideals is not merely an academic exercise but a practical imperative. It empowers the discipline to envision alternative social configurations, articulate social aspirations, and pragmatically approach their realization. Utopian thought can stimulate innovative policy-making, encourage societal engagement, and help construct resilient social systems in the face of adversity. Presently, Russian sociology, reflective of broader global sociological trends, does not proffer a societal ideal, hence it navigates without direction, merely mapping and interpreting the existing social landscape. This trajectory has practical implications, potentially limiting the discipline’s ability to be prescriptive and proactive. Confronted with this reality, Russian sociologists – and the discipline more broadly – are urged to rekindle the utopian imagination as a pivotal component of their intellectual endeavor. In doing so, they may foster a renewed sense of direction and purpose in the discipline of sociology, making it all the more pertinent in addressing the multifaceted complexities of today’s world.
Abensour M. (2017) Utopia from Thomas More to Walter Benjamin. MacKenzie, Minneapolis: Univocal Publishing.
Aron R. (1955) The Opium of the Intellectuals. Moscow: AST. (In Russ.)
Bauman Z. (2007) Utopia with no topos. History of the human sciences. Vol. 16. No. 1: 11–25.
Bell D. (1965) The End of Ideology: On the Exhaustion of Political Ideas in the Fifties. New York: Free Press.
Bloch E. (1986) The Principle of Hope. 3 vols. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Bloch E. (1991) The Principle of Hope. In: Utopia and Utopian Thinking: an Anthology of foreign literature. Moscow: Progress. (In Russ.)
Bourdieu P. (2018) Homo academicus. Moscow: In-t Gajdara. (In Russ.)
Burawoy M. (2008) For Public Sociology. In: Romanov P., Yarskaya-Smirnova E. (ed.) The social role of sociology. Moscow: Variant. (In Russ.)
Burawoy M., Wright E.O. (2011) Sociological marxism (Part II). Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 10: 26–38. (In Russ.)
Chalikova V.A. (1991) Preface. In: Utopia and Utopian Thinking: an Anthology of foreign literature. Moscow: Progress. (In Russ.)
Dahrendorf R. (2002) Trails from Utopia. Towards a new orientation of sociological analysis. Moscow: Praksis. (In Russ.)
Dyurkgejm E. (1991) Value and real judgments. Sotsiologicheskie Issledovaniia [Sociological studies]. No. 2: 106–114. (In Russ.)
Engels F. (1961) The development of socialism from utopia to science. In: Engels F., Marx K. Sochineniya. Vol. 19. Moscow: Gospolitizdat. (In Russ.)
Giddens A. (2011) The Consequences of Modernity. Moscow: Praksis. (In Russ.)
Habermas J. (1986) The new obscurity: The crisis of the welfare state and the exhaustion of utopian energies. Philosophy & Social Criticism. Vol. 11. No. 2: 1–18.
Ivanov D.V., Asochakov YU.V. (2016) The social future in the perspective of dialectical theory. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. No. 8: 3–12. (In Russ.)
Jacoby R. (1999) The end of utopia: politics and culture in an age of apathy. New York: Basic Books.
Koselleck R. (2004) Futures Past: On the Semantics of Historical Time. New York: Columbia University Press.
Kumar K. (1996) From Post-Industrial to Post-Modern Society: New Theory of the Contemporary World. Oxford: Blackwell.
Kumar K. (2010) The ends of utopia. New Literary History. Vol. 41. No. 3: 549–569.
Levitas R. (2000) For utopia: The (limits of the) utopian function in late capitalist society. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy. Vol. 3. No. 2–3: 25–43.
Levitas R. (2007) Looking for the blue: The necessity of utopia. Journal of Political Ideologies. Vol. 12. No. 3: 289–306.
Levitas R. (2010) The Concept of Utopia. Peter Lang.
Levitas R. (2013) Some varieties of utopian method. Irish Journal of Sociology. Vol. 21. No. 2: 41–50.
Lowe L. (2001) Utopia and modernity: Some observations from the border. Rethinking Marxism. Vol. 13. No. 2: 10–18.
Mannheim K. (1991) Ideology and utopia. In: Utopia and Utopian Thinking: an Anthology of foreign literature. Moscow: Progress. (In Russ.)
Mannheim K. (2010) Selected works: the diagnosis of our time. Moscow: Govoryashchaya kniga. (In Russ.)
Marcuse H. (2004) The end of utopia. Logos. Vol. 6. No. 45: 18–23. (In Russ.)
Martynov D.E. (2009) To consider the semantic evolution of the concept of utopia. Voprosy filosofii [Questions of Philosophy]. No. 5: 162–171. (In Russ.)
Marx K. (1955) Letters from «Deutsch-Franzosische Jahrbucher». In: Marx K., Engels F. Sochineniya. Vol. 1. Moscow: Gospolitizdat. (In Russ.)
Mills Ch.W. (2001) The sociological imagination. Moscow: NOTA BENE. (In Russ.)
Popper K.R. (1986) Utopia and violence. World Affs. Vol. 149. No. 1: 3–9.
Romanovskiy N.V. (2015) The future as a problem of modern sociology. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya[Sociological studies]. No. 11: 13–22. (In Russ.)
Sargent L.T. (1994) The three faces of utopianism revisited. Utopian studies. Vol. 5. No. 1: 1–37.
Sargent L.T. (2010) Utopianism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Shklar J.N. (1969) After Utopia: the decline of political faith. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Siebers T. (1994) What Does Postmodernism Want? Utopia. In: Siebers T. (ed.) Heterotopia: Postmodern Utopia and the Body Politic. University of Michigan Press: 1–39.
Suvin D. (1979) Metamorphoses of Science Fiction. New Haven, London: Yale University Press.
Thompson E.P. (1993) William Morris: Romantic to Revolutionary. London: Merlin, 1977.
Vieira G.C. (1993) No place for Utopia: Postmodern Theory and The white hotel. Utopian Studies. Vol. 4. No. 2: 117–127.
Volkov Yu.G. (2020) Sociology of the Future: sociological knowledge and social project. Moscow: KnoRus. (In Russ.)
Wallerstein I. (1998) Utopistics: Or, historical choices of the twenty-first century. New York: The New Press.
Wells H.G. (1906) The So-Called Science of Sociology. The Sociological Review. No. 1: 357–369.
Wright E.O. (2010) Envisioning Real Utopias. London, New York: Verso Books.