Why Think About Utopia in Dystopian Times - a guest lecture by Hilary Strang

You are warmly invited to a special library meeting featuring a talk by Hilary Strang on utopia, science fiction, and the power of imagining better futures. In an era that often feels overwhelmingly dystopian, why should we bother with utopia? This talk will explore the importance of utopian thinking for our current moment. We will consider the ways science fiction allows us to envision alternatives to the present and discuss a range of post-1960s American science fiction novels that challenge us to think and feel beyond capitalism into collective, communal life. About Our Speaker: Hilary Strang is a Senior Instructional Professor in the Humanities and the Director of the Master of Arts Program in the Humanities (MAPH) at the University of Chicago. Her work focuses on science fiction and questions of collective life. She is particularly interested in the feminist utopian SF of the 1970s and ecological science fiction. She has also taught for many years in adult and community-based education programs, and co-hosts the podcast Marooned! on Mars with Matt and Hilary. The meeting will be run in English, intended for participants aged 16+. Free entry. While Hilary will be calling in via Zoom from the US, we invite you to come to the library to spend some time in the company of other literature-lovers.

You are warmly invited to a special library meeting featuring a talk by Hilary Strang on utopia, science fiction, and the power of imagining better futures. In an era that often feels overwhelmingly dystopian, why should we bother with utopia? This talk will explore the importance of utopian thinking for our current moment. We will consider the ways science fiction allows us to envision alternatives to the present and discuss a range of post-1960s American science fiction novels that challenge us to think and feel beyond capitalism into collective, communal life. About Our Speaker: Hilary Strang is a Senior Instructional Professor in the Humanities and the Director of the Master of Arts Program in the Humanities (MAPH) at the University of Chicago. Her work focuses on science fiction and questions of collective life. She is particularly interested in the feminist utopian SF of the 1970s and ecological science fiction. She has also taught for many years in adult and community-based ed...