24th Conference of the Utopian Studies Society/Europe 

 UTOPIA AND DEMOCRACY  

The conference took place between 3-5 July 2024 

Democracy Institute of the Central European University
Budapest, 15 Nádor Street. 

 As historian Péter Hanák argues, Central Europe is a region where reality and utopia have always mingled. The multifaceted relationship between reality and utopia is at the very center of the 24th Annual Conference of the Utopian Studies Society/Europe, that will take place in the heart of Central Europe – in Budapest.  

Taking its cue from our host in Budapest, Central European University’s Democracy Institute, 2024’s event was titled Utopia and Democracy. We welcomed all interested speakers who aimed to enrich the intellectual history of the concept of democracy by drawing attention to its relationship with various forms of utopianism, whether literary, political, philosophical or practical. The history/interpretation of the concepts of both utopia and democracy have been changing in the past centuries, and there are a number of significant common points in their developments, though the production of scholarly works in this field has been sporadic. Speakers are thus invited to reflect on how elements of democratic societies have been endorsed and/or criticised by utopias, or to address their role in the depictions of ideal social and political structures.  

 Beyond the legal and political aspects of democratic societies, the organizers of this event encourage the perception of democracy in broader terms as a form of socialization (to use Miguel Abensour’s term). Aspects of democratic societies, such as equality, the rule of law, the separation of powers, freedom of expression, commitment to the common good, solidarity, plurality of opinions, respect for the human dignity of the other (especially the political opponent), threats to democratic structures, etc., are among the topics that we believe determine our contemporary discussion of the relationship between democracy and utopia. 

 Key topics of the conference were:

  • Democratic structures and utopian social or literary imaginaries
  • Utopian and political literature 
  • Utopia and the rule of law 
  • Minoritarian (sexual, racial, natural) utopian/dystopian imaginaries 
  • Utopia, democracy, and gender 
  • The potential for queer utopias in contemporary democratic societies (especially papers honoring the 15th anniversary of José Esteban Muñoz’s field-establishing work “Cruising Utopia: The Then and There of Queer Futurity”) 
  • The democratic elements of utopias/dystopias in contemporary popular culture 
  • The democratization of utopias/dystopias and environmental humanities 
  • Utopianism and democracy in Central and Eastern Europe
     

The official language of the conference was English.

 Confirmed Keynote Speakers: 

Professor Nicole Pohl (Oxford Brookes University) 

Professor Nathalie Vanfasse (Aix-Marseille University)  

Professor György Majtényi (Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Eger, Hungary)

 

REGISTRATION INFORMATION 

Those who registered for the conference, acknowledged the handling of their data according to the Privacy Statement of Central European University. You can read the Statement here.

USS/E SOCIETY FEE: 

Please note that the USS/E membership fee of 20 EUR, which entitles you to the annual membership in the Society, is separate from the Conference fee and is the Society’s only source of funding travel grants for utopian scholars and covering the costs of current expenses (such as bank account, USS/E website). It is not possible to participate in a USS/E Conference without paying the Society Fee. Members of the USS/E accept the regulations of the society (https://utopian-studies-europe.org/constitution-and-regulation/ ) and particularly our ECR/EDI statement (https://utopian-studies-europe.org/ecr-edi-statement/ )The membership fee should be paid until 30th April 2024.  

Host Committee: 

Czigányik Zsolt, Iva Dimovska, Daryna Koryagina (CEU Democracy Institute, “Democracy in East Central European utopianism” research group) 

 Academic Committee: 

Éva Antal (EKKE University, Eger), Vera Benczik (ELTE University, Budapest), Gregory Claeys (Royal Holloway), Justyna Galant (University of Gdansk), Marta Komsta (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin), Csaba Maczelka (University of Pécs), Sándor Hites (Research Centre for the Humanities), Károly Pintér (PPKE University, Budapest), Ádám Takács (ELTE University, Budapest)

 The conference is supported by Central European University’s Democracy Institute and the Gerda Henkel Foundation.