Utopian Moments—Reading Utopian Texts

Within literature, history, politics, philosophy and theology, the interpretation of utopian ideals has evolved constantly. Juxtaposing historical views on utopian diagnoses, prescriptions and on the character and value of utopian thought with more modern interpretations, this volume explores how our ideal utopia has transformed over time.

Challenging long-held interpretations, the contributors turn a fresh eye to canonical texts, and open them up to a twenty-first century audience. From Moore's Utopia to Le Guin's The Dispossessed, Utopian Moments puts forward a lively and accessible debate on the nature and significance of utopian thought and tradition.

Each essay focuses on a key passage from the selected work using it to encourage both the specialist and the reader new to the field to read afresh. Written by an international team of leading scholars, the essays range from the sixteenth century to the present day and are designed to be both stimulating and accessible.

J.C. Davis is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of East Anglia. He has written extensively on the history of utopian thought and on political and religious thought in the English Revolution 1640-1660. He is the author of Utopia and the Ideal Society (1981), and numerous other writings on Utopian thought which are benchmarks in the field. Described as a 'brilliant and provocative iconoclast', he taught at a number of universities in the UK and abroad and set up the School of History at the University of East Anglia.Miguel Angel Ramiro Aviles is Assistant Professor of Philosophy of Law at Alcala University and Visiting Fellow of Externado University (Bogota, Colombia). He is member of the Monitoring Boby of the National Human Rights Action Plan. He was previously Senior Lecturer at Carlos III de Madrid University, where he was Deputy Director of the "Bartolome de las Casas" Human Rights Institute and Director of the Human Rights Master Program.