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Utopia as Method: The Imaginary Reconstitution of Society
Utopia should be understood as a method rather than a goal. This book rehabilitates utopia as a repressed dimension of the sociological and in the process produces the Imaginary Reconstitution of Society, a provisional, reflexive and dialogic method for exploring alternative possible futures.
286 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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About the author
Ruth Levitas
11 books7 followersRuth Levitas (born 15 May 1949 in London) is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Bristol. She is well known internationally for her research on utopia and utopian studies.
Her book, The Concept of Utopia (1990), addresses the notion of the ideal society throughout European history. Her follow-on book, Utopia as Method: The Imaginary Reconstitution of Society (2013), makes the case that 'utopia should be understood as a method rather than a goal.' She has formulated a program of sociology which is fundamentally utopian-focused in conventional sociological discourse.
In The Inclusive Society?: Social Exclusion and New Labour (2005), Levitas introduced the idea of social exclusion as part of the new political language. She also introduced the concepts of MUD (the moral underclass discourse), SID (the social integration discourse), and RED (the redistribution discourse), as tools for analysing social exclusion.
Her book, The Concept of Utopia (1990), addresses the notion of the ideal society throughout European history. Her follow-on book, Utopia as Method: The Imaginary Reconstitution of Society (2013), makes the case that 'utopia should be understood as a method rather than a goal.' She has formulated a program of sociology which is fundamentally utopian-focused in conventional sociological discourse.
In The Inclusive Society?: Social Exclusion and New Labour (2005), Levitas introduced the idea of social exclusion as part of the new political language. She also introduced the concepts of MUD (the moral underclass discourse), SID (the social integration discourse), and RED (the redistribution discourse), as tools for analysing social exclusion.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 8, 2020
This is a great, inspiring book about the power and potential uses of utopia.
It's an academic text, so it's got a lot of schlolarly stuff in it, but it's also a very readable, inspiring guide to the subject that is full of great quotable chunks and a deep passion for defending the oppressed and described a better world for all.
Hard work, but worth it. I learned from and was galvanised by this book.
It's an academic text, so it's got a lot of schlolarly stuff in it, but it's also a very readable, inspiring guide to the subject that is full of great quotable chunks and a deep passion for defending the oppressed and described a better world for all.
Hard work, but worth it. I learned from and was galvanised by this book.
January 15, 2021
bro :')
September 23, 2018
Ruth Levitas writes:
"For those who still think that utopia is about the impossible, what really is impossible is to carry on as we are, with social and economic systems that enrich a few but destroy the environment and impoverish most of the world's population. Our very survival depends on finding another way of living."
and:
"However, ‘doing nothing’ is here intended also as a positive proposal. Politicians may declare that 'we need to do more and we need to do it faster’. The opposite is true. We need to do less, and we need to do it more slowly. Doing a lot more nothing, including sleeping, would reduce resource consumption, lower stress levels and enable social relations more conducive to dignity and grace…"
"For those who still think that utopia is about the impossible, what really is impossible is to carry on as we are, with social and economic systems that enrich a few but destroy the environment and impoverish most of the world's population. Our very survival depends on finding another way of living."
and:
"However, ‘doing nothing’ is here intended also as a positive proposal. Politicians may declare that 'we need to do more and we need to do it faster’. The opposite is true. We need to do less, and we need to do it more slowly. Doing a lot more nothing, including sleeping, would reduce resource consumption, lower stress levels and enable social relations more conducive to dignity and grace…"
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October 9, 2025A great introduction to utopian thought and analysis of utopian feeling using Bloch's definition of a utopia. I would however personally prefer a utopian thought more uncoupled from the idea of the actual- perhaps with more thought given to Deleuze's idea of the virtual.
December 21, 2023
Promising but unfulfilling I only liked 20% of the book it starts getting interesting but then they cut it short and leave it at that.
Biased cause I expected better and ended up disliking it. Content is decent I'm being a bit harsh to be honest.
Biased cause I expected better and ended up disliking it. Content is decent I'm being a bit harsh to be honest.
August 19, 2014
Mourn, hope, love, imagine, organise
A thought-provoking treatise on Utopia from a sociological perspective, this book starts with a history of Utopian thinking, and its application in art and music as well as sociology, politics and economics. The final sections set out Levitas's methodological application of Utopia to current social circumstances, comprising archaeology (excavating shards of Utopian thinking in the social, cultural, political systems we inherit), ontology (establishing our own views on human flourishing within the good society) and architecture (what form of society would allow us to achieve this). Ending with five commandments listed above, Levitas challenges all her readers to go beyond critique of our current circumstances towards defining how things could be better and taking steps to change them.
A thought-provoking treatise on Utopia from a sociological perspective, this book starts with a history of Utopian thinking, and its application in art and music as well as sociology, politics and economics. The final sections set out Levitas's methodological application of Utopia to current social circumstances, comprising archaeology (excavating shards of Utopian thinking in the social, cultural, political systems we inherit), ontology (establishing our own views on human flourishing within the good society) and architecture (what form of society would allow us to achieve this). Ending with five commandments listed above, Levitas challenges all her readers to go beyond critique of our current circumstances towards defining how things could be better and taking steps to change them.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews