Imaginary Power, Real Horizons: The Practicality of Utopianism

by Richard Gilman-Opalsky

A mind-expanding exploration of the political force of the imagination. When we imagine a different society organized by a different logic than capitalism, what we imagine is not (yet) in the world as a material reality. To what extent is a rival vision for life on Earth a prerequisite for living differently? After all, we cannot aim to create what we cannot imagine. When we imagine something, it is already  present . Human imagination is a world-creating power. Radical theorist Richard Gilman-Opalsky explores the function of imaginary power in contexts as diverse as revolts across the globe, Black radical music, the international history of May Day, the George Floyd Rebellion, and ideology in present-day China. He reminds us that people once denounced slavery abolitionists and radical suffragettes as utopian. So much is declared impossible until it starts to happen. In these expansive and surprising essays, Gilman-Opalsky demonstrates that anti-utopian naysayers suffer from limited imaginations, poor understandings of history, or worse, are favorably disposed toward a deadly status quo.  Imaginary Power, Real Horizons , on the other hand, considers the urgent theoretical and practical importance of our ability to dream up our successes in real struggles to abolish the terrors of capital.

Genres: Theory, Politics, History

264 pages, Paperback

Published July 9, 2024

About the author

Richard Gilman-Opalsky is Associate Professor of Political Philosophy in the Department of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Springfield. His work primarily concerns theories of revolution, contentious politics, philosophy of praxis, and capitalism and its culture.

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Gilman-Opalsky, the author of this book, reminds me of Martin Buber, the author of the last (nonfiction) book I read. Buber never stopped calling himself a zionist, even when it became clear that his ideas and actions did not match with what the majority of zionists considered zionism. Gilman-Opalsky is a communist, even though he's unlike almost any communist I've met. His beliefs and ideas sound a lot more like anarchy to me, yet he continues to call himself a communist. I’ll admit, reading his work—this is my second book—has softened some of my gut-level rage toward communism.

There is one way in which Gilman-Opalsky screams communist—his style of writing. Like almost anything I've read that has been written by a communist, his writing is dense, longer than it needs to be, and super academic. It feels like communism is 99 percent theory. I'm not saying that we should all run from theory, but we do need to balance it with actual action. I think people who read theory for the purpose of increasing the effectiveness of their actions are the kind of people who would appreciate this book. While it's not an easy read—at times it's downright boring—it's definitely worth slogging through.

I got this book because I like thinking/dreaming about Utopia, but in a realistic way, which doesn't make sense to most people. It's important to have an imagination, to be able to dream of a world better than this one. So many people alive today know deep down that capitalism is not the way to go, but they can't think of anything better so they accept the current reality. As Gilman-Opalsky says, “imagination may exceed reality without abandoning it.” It's possible to dream of and fight for a better world, while remaining rooted in reality. In order to be Utopian, one has to be practical; real change isn't just reacting to what's happening, but also conceptualizing real horizons.

While we're on the topic of communistic things that annoy me—how about revolution. There are two ways in which I've heard people use the word revolution. The most common way I've heard it talked about is to overthrow the existing government and replace it with a more radical one—not my cup of tea, because I don't see how there's any difference between that and the system we have today. The other is meaningless; a lot of people throw around the word, but don't have a clear definition in their head. What the former is talking about is more revolt, which is momentary, emotional, and transforms individuals. It's lighting cop cars on fire, and sharing food with those who may not have enough. It's burning down police stations and taking care of your neighbors. And it fundamentally changes the way its participants see the world. Revolution actually changes things; it's not the same jails filled with different people or the same oppressive system, just run by people with a different letter after their names.

A lot of people see revolts in the streets (including right now) and react with disgust, saying that it's never going to change anything. Or they see a revolt or movement seemingly end and they think it was a failure. These are people with no imagination. These things never really end: Occupy led to Standing Rock led to the George Floyd Uprising lead to what's happening today. Connections are made, people are radicalized, and a lot more is going on than what the mainstream media shows you on the nightly news. One of my favorite quotes in this book was, “Nobody thinks burning a cop car will end racism, but experiences of revolt change people.”

My favorite essay in the book was “Free Jazz and Other Insurrections,” because it ties music to political resistance. Besides the written word and human beings in my life, music has probably had the most influence turning me radical. Gilman-Opalsky talks a lot about free jazz and other forms of radical music, and the difference between active and regressive listening. I don't fully understand that concept, but that's ok. Music is my favorite drug—and I've never found a better one.

This review could have/should have been longer, but I'm itchy to start the next book in my never-shrinking pile, so I'll sum up: This book is a bit contradictory, being written by someone who calls themselves a communist, yet is against power, statehood, and dogma (again, sounds like an anarchist to me). Gilman-Opalsky does not give any easy answers, but instead lays out enough info for the reader to reach their own conclusions.

If you're bored of the usual leftist talking points or are a communist looking for a way out, check out this book.

[Charlotte Piwowar · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. There were a few chapters that I really enjoyed - namely Free Jazz and Other Insurrections, Inversion and Abolition, and Horizons of the George Floyd Rebellion. However, a lot of chapters were dense academic musings that lacked punch for me. I think radical theory is more enjoyable and impactful when it’s written for the masses (a la bell hooks), and this, while it raised thought-provoking ideas, was far too highbrow for me.

[Oliver Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some fantastic gems in this collected work. The chapter on free jazz is especially good! I think the thing I would have wanted more of was a deeper exploration of some of the theoretical ideas. Each chapter flows into the next but, because it is a book of collected papers, some of the ideas are reintroduced, taking some space away from the chance to explore them on a deeper level

[Ross Jensen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This volume consists mostly of transcripts and write-ups of interviews and seminars, so the result is a half-baked and parochial collection. Prof. Gilman-Opalsky’s Communism of Love is certainly a better point of entry to his thought.