”It's the age of doubt
And I doubt we’ll figure it out
Is it you or is it me?
The age of anxiety”
(”Age of Anxiety I” – Arcade Fire)
In an era marked by intersecting crises, the future becomes precarious. Rather than relying on assurances of progress and prosperity, tomorrow turns into a question fraught with doubt and uncertainty. Nowhere is this more evident than in the realm of climate change and sustainability, where actively shaping desirable futures is not only about pursuing a good life but also about guarding against dystopian outcomes. In this context, the practices of envisioning the future appear to be undergoing profound shifts.
Responding to these evolving dynamics, our seminar probes the nature of future-making. What does it entail, precisely? Who (and what) participates in these processes, and how do they intersect with issues of social inequality and environmental justice on both local and global scales?
To delve into these inquiries, our seminar adopts a two-pronged approach. Firstly, we will consider sociological approaches to the study of futures, environmental justice and social inequality. Secondly, we explore empirical studies on sustainable futures ”in the making” and how justice and inequality factor into them.
The goals of this course are threefold:
- Understanding sociological approaches to theorize and analyse future making
- Increasing sensitivity for social inequality and justices issues related to imaginations of possible futures
- Enabling reflections on and development of empirical approaches to the study of future making
The course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to choose topics from various fields related to imaginations of (sustainable) futures and to explore them in depth. This seminar shall enable students to critically assess how justice and social inequality underpin future making practices.
The course will take place weekly with online as well as in person sessions. There will be one block seminar at the end of the semester. |
