Bringing together a diverse list of contributors from Europe, Australia and North America, this book challenges conventional wisdom about utopian thinking in International Relations. The volume demonstrates how utopian thinking has shaped a range of IR theories through its resolutely realistic focus on pressing political crises. This essential collection shows utopia's empirical significance in world politics by offering fresh perspectives on revolutionary movements, racial imaginaries, technocratic expertise and global climate change, among other issues. It is a vital intervention that reshapes disciplinary understanding and establishes new research directions for scholars examining the pasts and futures of world politics.
Daniel R. McCarthy is Associate Professor in International Relations at the University of Melbourne, Australia.Matthew Fluck is Senior Lecturer in International Relations and co-leader of the Politics and IR undergraduate programme at the University of Westminster, UK.
1. Utopianism in International Relations: Beyond an Unreal Realism - Matthew Fluck and Daniel R. McCarthyPart 1: Utopia and International Relations Theory2. An Unreal Realism? Progressive Realism and Utopian Possibilities - William Scheuerman3. Liberalism - Kamila Stullerova4. Critical Theory and Utopian Antinomies: Towards a Dialectical Utopianism – Shannon Brincat5. Continuously Moving Normative Horizons: Recasting Feminist Pragmatism’s Utopia in International Politics - Marija Antanaviciute6. Rigorous Fictions, Unrealistic Counter-Factuals and the Problem of Utopian Methods in IR – Daniel R. McCarthyPart 2: Utopian Practices in International Relations7. Utopia, Revolution and Political Violence – George Lawson and Catherine Hirst8. Race and Anglo-American Utopian Imaginaries – Duncan Bell9. Enclaves, Popular Cultures and Utopian Prospects – Matthew Fluck10. Enough of Organizations With Acronyms: The Backlash Against Technocratic Utopias of Global Governance – Jens Steffek11. Utopia in the Anthropocene – Aysem Mert and Laura Horn12. Orbita: Astropheric Industrial Infrastructure, World Order and Utopianism – Daniel Deudney13. Conclusion: Reclaiming Utopia for the Future of International Relations – Daniel R. McCarthy and Matthew Fluck