In the context of global problems such as the economic downturn, escalating inequality, terrorism, resource depletion and climate change, cynicism prevails in contemporary politics, which need not be the case. Utopian Politics confronts a world intensely aware of the problems that we face and sadly lacking in solutions, positing a utopian articulation of citizenship focused on community participation at a grassroots level.
By re-examining central concepts and thinkers in political theory, this book re-casts the concepts of utopia and citizenship both as part of the classical philosophical tradition and simultaneously as part of the cutting edge of radical alternatives. This book includes never-before published ethnographic research, interviews and photographs from a range of autonomous UK communities, to show how the boundaries of politics and citizenship can be questioned and proposes an innovative methodology inspired by classical and post-structural anarchism. By considering ideas and practices that are generally considered to be marginal to mainstream political theory and practice, the book encourages readers to think about longstanding and central political debates in an entirely new, and creative way.
Utopian Politics will be of interest to students and scholars of political theory, ethics and citizenship.
Biography
Rhiannon Firth completed her PhD at the University of Nottingham, UK.
'This book makes a significant contribution to theories of citizenship in demonstrating the possibility of alternative frameworks. It alsmo makes contributions in concretely applying radical thought. And it contributes to a growing literature on critical utopias, usefully extending the reach of this literature by bringing it into contact with issues of citizenship.' Andy Robinson, University of Nottingham, Political Theory Journal
