Utopianism in the Work of Zygmunt Bauman - Sociologi - Aalborg ...
Utopianism in the Work of Zygmunt Bauman - Sociologi - Aalborg ...
Utopianism in the Work of Zygmunt Bauman - Sociologi - Aalborg ...
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utopia (<strong>Bauman</strong> 1976a), socialism still proved a viable solution to many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
problems faced by capitalism such as ‘legitimisation crises’ but already <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
early 1980’s <strong>the</strong>se hopes ended <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> throes <strong>of</strong> death culm<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> up-<br />
heavals <strong>in</strong> Eastern Europe <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> late 1980’s and <strong>the</strong> def<strong>in</strong>itive dethronement <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> State Socialist projects. These Socialist utopias, be<strong>in</strong>g some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> only uto-<br />
pian attempts <strong>in</strong> history ever really to have been put <strong>in</strong>to flesh <strong>in</strong>stead <strong>of</strong> merely<br />
rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g words, as <strong>the</strong> ancient Greeks expected <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir classical utopian aspi-<br />
rations, were ultimately ‘upturned’ as Noberto Bobbio (1989) termed it. Peter<br />
Beilharz (1991) showed how many <strong>of</strong> ‘labour’s utopias’ on <strong>the</strong> Left such as<br />
bolshevism, Fabianism and social democracy all failed to deliver and br<strong>in</strong>g<br />
about <strong>the</strong> promised mode <strong>of</strong> production where oppression and alienation disap-<br />
peared and his analysis is <strong>in</strong>deed <strong>in</strong>spired by <strong>Bauman</strong>’s own work on <strong>the</strong> failed<br />
class project <strong>of</strong> socialism (cf. <strong>Bauman</strong> 1972, 1982). This historical defeat <strong>of</strong><br />
socialism, or <strong>the</strong> vulgar variant <strong>of</strong> it practised <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> East, however, did not<br />
mean that <strong>Bauman</strong> shrew <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> towel and altoge<strong>the</strong>r surrendered his socialism<br />
convictions. Many <strong>of</strong> his ideas <strong>of</strong> socialism as a particularly active utopia still<br />
rema<strong>in</strong> with him as well as <strong>the</strong> hope that such ideas can “pave <strong>the</strong> way for a<br />
critical activity which alone can transform <strong>the</strong> present predicament <strong>of</strong> man”<br />
(<strong>Bauman</strong> 1976a:13). Instead <strong>of</strong> support<strong>in</strong>g utopianism as conventional and con-<br />
serv<strong>in</strong>g activity, today he ra<strong>the</strong>r views it as critical activity.<br />
<strong>Bauman</strong>’s values, though, are no longer exclusive socialist if understood<br />
<strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> ideological monopoly. Ra<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong>y appear to be encompass<strong>in</strong>g and<br />
universal humanistic values that especially <strong>the</strong> Enlightenment philosophers es-<br />
poused despite his <strong>of</strong>ten outspoken critique <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> historical excesses <strong>of</strong><br />
Enlightenment. As he stated <strong>in</strong> an <strong>in</strong>terview conducted a decade ago about <strong>the</strong><br />
utopian pr<strong>in</strong>ciples (<strong>of</strong> justice, self-assertion and autonomy) guid<strong>in</strong>g his work:<br />
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