A podcast about utopias, real and imaginary. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future.
Pete & Karlo from Podside Picnic join me to talk about Frederik Pohl's 1977 science fiction novel Gateway. We discuss "full medical" as it relates to the disaster that is American healthcare, company towns, gold rushes, risk, and gateway as a metaphor for the market. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: https://twitter.com/utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Academic and #ACFM co-host Jeremy Gilbert joins the podcast to talk us through the concept of "the long 90s". We discuss why cultural innovation has stagnated, the relationship of culture to politics and how anti-utopianism may be falling out of fashion. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: https://twitter.com/utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Trevor Strunk from No Cartridge joins us to talk about his new book Story Mode. We discuss how horror videogames help chart our fears, which events caused the genre to radically shift direction, Resident Evil, the apocalypse and neoliberalism. You can find Trevor's book here: https://bookshop.org/books/story-mode-video-games-and-the-interplay-between-consoles-and-culture/9781633886803 Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: https://twitter.com/utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Katie Stone joins me to talk about Francis Ford Coppola's horny Dracula adaptation, the original Bram Stoker novel and how the figure of the vampire can be rethought to connect to utopian ideas around work, idleness, care and more. You can find the talk Katie mentions in the episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiPseSrT0p0 And my Kickstarter project here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/objectoriented/object-oriented Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: https://twitter.com/utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Stefan Riekeles, author of the book Anime Architecture: Imagined Worlds and Endless Megacities, joins me to talk about the dystopian worlds imagined by artists and directors that provide the background to some of the genre's most famous movies. You can find the Kickstarter project I mention in the episode here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/objectoriented/object-oriented Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: https://twitter.com/utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Ranged Touch's Cameron Kunzelman returns to the show to talk about the fascinating detective RPG that is Disco Elysium. We talk about how the game represents contemporary capitalism, the strengths and weaknesses of its character portrayals, the spectre of communism and, of course, Cuno. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: https://twitter.com/utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Sci-fi author, journalist and blogger Cory Doctorow joins the show to talk about the tangle of intricate dystopian narratives that is conspiracy theory. We discuss the roots of conspiracy theory, why it is becoming more prevalent at this particular moment, and how it can be effectively countered. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: https://twitter.com/utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
It's a solo episode this time as I return to the book Economic Science Fictions to delve into a chapter on extraction and the way is reflected in capitalism and science fiction media. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: https://twitter.com/utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Blood Knife's Kurt Schiller joins the podcast to talk about the post-scarcity communist society depicted in Iain M. Banks Culture series and how it seems to have attracted the most unexpected of fans in ultra-capitalist billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: https://twitter.com/utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Konstantinos Dimopoulos, a game urbanist and designer, joins us to talk about virtual cities in videogames. We talk about their critical potential, how they communicate information, and how Konstantinos has been exploring him in his book, Virtual Cities: An Atlas & Exploration Of Video Game Cities. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: https://twitter.com/utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Vincent Liegey and Anitra Nelson, the authors of the book Exploring Degrowth: A Critical Guide, join me to talk about what Degrowth means, how it aims to address the climate crises and change our world, why it is difficult for capitalism to co-opt it, and why we can't assume that renewable energy will solve all our problems. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: https://twitter.com/utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Rosie from the Twin Peaks podcast Diane joins the show again to talk about the unique and surreal videogame world of Kentucky Route Zero. We chat about themes of debt and exploitation, the powerful use of haunting, different ways of thinking about foreground and background, and a possible kernel of utopian hope in a overwhelmingly dystopic world. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: https://twitter.com/utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
I finally return to my run-through of every Philip K Dick novel to talk about 1964's The Penultimate Truth. I touch on class differences, the loss of the new, authority in postmodernity and conspiracy theory. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: https://twitter.com/utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Dr Anna McFarlane from the University of Glasgow returns to the podcast to talk about 1999 science fiction phenomenon The Matrix. We discuss what The Matrix represents, systemic power, cyberpunk, trans readings of the film and more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: @utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
The author of Abolish Silicon Valley, Wendy Liu, joins the podcast to give an insider perspective of Silicon Valley from a former Google intern who once brought into the industry's lofty ideas of itself. We discuss Silicon Valley ideology, how capitalism limits the potential of technology and much more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: @utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Gabriel and Jack from the AAA Collective talk to me about their new game about utopia, the process of creating it, and matching theme to process. You can find the game here: https://aaa.itch.io/utopias Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: @utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Lucy Brady from Wyrd Signal joins me to talk about Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk parody novel Snow Crash. We discuss late capitalism, the nature of work under neoliberalism, Silicon Valley determinism, the American Century and much more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: @utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Mark Taylor from Moscow's HSE University joins the podcast to talk about the utopian society of Pala laid out by Aldous Huxley in his last novel. We discuss merging East and West, Mutual Adoption Clubs, sex, and Henri Bergson while exploring this island paradise. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: @utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Money is the subject of the latest chapter in my run-through of Economic Science Fictions. Sherryl Vint's essay lays out the argument for thinking of money as a social technology rather than as a thing, and explains the role science fiction can play in helping us to rethink it. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail.com Twitter: @utopianhorizons Support: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
I'm joined by fellow utopians Aaron and Shawn from the utopian comedy podcast Srsly Wrong. We talk about the valuable critique and strategies laid out in Inventing the Future, a book arguing for a postcapitalist world without work, and delve into the intricacies of Aaron and Shawn's own utopian vision: Library Socialism. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: @utopianhorizons email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support the podcast: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
A host of fantastic guests join the show to talk about utopian and dystopian places in videogames. We've got Rosie from Diane on Dark Souls, Lana Polansky on Space Funeral, Cameron Kunzelman on State of Decay, Jon Bailes on Persona 5, Trevor Strunk on Mega Man and me talking about Final Fantasy VII. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: @utopianhorizons Email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Jon Bailes, author of the book Ideology and the Virtual City, joins the podcast to talk about the pop-cultural phenomenon that is GTA 5. We discuss whether GTA thinks of its representation of neoliberal capitalism as dystopian, the vital role cynicism plays in the game, and the significance of GTA's position as a consumer product to its cowardly satire. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: @utopianhorizons Email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail dot com Support: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
I return to Economic Science Fictions to look at its first essay on the relationship between economics and science fiction and how the two can benefit from each other. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. email: utopianhorizonspod [at] gmail.com Twitter: @utopianhorizons Support: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Marianne Kac-Vergne joins the podcast to talk about two visions of the future from the early 90s in Demolition Man and Predator 2. We discuss the films' representations of race, masculinity and the End of History in a world where every restaurant is a Pizza Hut. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: @utopianhorizons Support: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Economic Science Fictions is a collection of essays merging the worlds of economics and science fiction to ask "how we might harness the power of the utopian imagination to revitalise economic thinking". I start a journey through the book with an introduction that lays the groundwork on why those two worlds should be combined and what vital questions this union can help us address. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: @utopianhorizons Support: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Cartoonist Stuart McMillen joins the podcast to talk about "the Leonardo Da Vinci of the twentieth century", the fascinating Buckminster Fuller. We discuss his utopian world view, his penchant for creating new terminology, his designs and inventions, both functional and fantastic. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: @utopianhorizons Support: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Aaron Bastani joins the podcast to discuss his new book, Fully Automated Luxury Communism: A Manifesto. We touch on automation, gene editing, free energy, and the trajectories the surprising progress of these new technologies could lead us on. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Twitter: @utopianhorizons Support: patreon.com/utopianhorizons Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Ibtisam Ahmed joins the podcast to help guide us through Begum Rokeya's short story Sultana's Dream and the utopia it depicts called Ladyland. We discuss Rokeya's valuable approach to utopia, colonialism, technology and lots more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Siobhan Carroll joins the podcast to introduce us to the idea of atopia, guiding us through modern globalised spaces, natural environments hostile to humanity and the connections between them. We discuss The Martian and Gravity as explorations of atopic space and as responses to contemporary anxieties about globalisation. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Diletta De Cristofaro joins me to talk about David Mitchell's 2004 novel Cloud Atlas. We talk about the relationship of utopia and dystopia to the idea of the apocalypse, the significance of Cloud Atlas' structure and how an apocalyptic understanding of time can be used as a tool by the powerful. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
The prospect of a shorter working week is the subject of this episode, with Aidan Harper from the 4 day week campaign and the New Economics Foundation joining me to make the case for reducing working hours without a reduction a pay. We discuss crises of productivity, mental health, automation and climate, and how the 4 day week could help address these problems. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
The phenomenon that is the Battle Royale videogame genre and the pseudo-dystopias depicted in games like PUBG, Fortnite and Apex Legends is the subject of this episode. Academic, writer and co-founder of Ranged Touch, Cameron Kunzelman, joins me to loot the genre's barren thematic landscapes for some fragments of meaning. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
A host of guests join me to talk about a chosen song or artist in relation to utopia: sci-fi author and academic Adam Roberts on The Kinks, Anna McFarlane from the University of Glasgow on The Tale of the Giant Stone Eater, Imaginary Cities author Darran Anderson on Talking Heads, Fatima Vieira from the University of Porto on Grandola Vila Morena, All Units' Sean McTiernan on Nomeansno and David Bell on jazz. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Rosie from the Shadow Trap and Diane podcasts joins me to talk about From Software's PS4 game Bloodborne. We talk about utopia's relationship to the secular, living dystopias in videogames, the role of utopia in religion and the idea of reaching utopia through evolution or transformation. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Deirdre Hollman from The Black Comics Collective joins the podcast to talk about Marvel's Black Panther film, the utopia that is Wakanda, and the representation of its characters. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
I return to my solo-run through Philip K. Dick's novels, this time touching down on the Alphane Moon to discuss misogyny, the psychopathology of power, and the utopian potential of empathy. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Trevor Strunk from No Cartridge joins the podcast to talk about Hideo Kojima's cyberpunk detective game, Snatcher. We discuss the game's take on immigration, body snatching, Russia hysteria and more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Sarah Lohmann returns for part 2 of our conversation on Ursula Le Guin's The Dispossessed, where we continue to delve into the anarchist world of Anarres. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Sarah Lohmann from Durham University joins me to talk about Ursula Le Guin's classic utopian novel The Dispossessed. We discuss the anarchist world of Anarres, complexity theory, time, complementarity and more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopia. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Continuing my solo run through every Philip K Dick novel, I discuss The Simulacra. I talk about celebrity politicians, Clinton, Merkel and Macron as images, politics as cause and effect, how ideology requires complicity and more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopias, real and imaginary. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Duncan Bell joins the podcast to talk about The Angel of the Revolution, a novel about a socialist revolution brought about by the invention of a flying ship. We discuss the end of war, racial utopias, the slipperiness of the term "anglo-saxon", invasion fiction and more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopias, real and imaginary. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Anna McFarlane returns to the podcast to talk about 1995 film Strange Days. We talk about the Rodney King incident, representations of race, history vs nostalgia, the film's innovative use of first-person perspective, the commodification of memory, and more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopias, real and imaginary. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Writer Mark O'Connell joins the podcast to talk about how Silicon Valley billionaires are preparing for the apocalypse in New Zealand and their attempts to become immortal. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopias, real and imaginary. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
I pull out an emergency podcast on Robocop. I talk about privatisation, the film's contradictory representations of the cyborg, gentrification and more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopias, real and imaginary. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Sean McTiernan returns to the podcast to talk about a low-budget cyberpunk b-movie called Nemesis. We discuss how to engage with genre cinema, the technological dystopia of the perfect worker, Silicon Valley conspiracy theorists, and more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopias, real and imaginary. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Continuing the Philip K. Dick series, I look at Martian Time-Slip. I talk about space colonisation, Elon Musk, institutionsas systems, labelling as an exercise of power, mental health and anti-psychiatry. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopias, real and imaginary. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Christopher Bolton joins the podcast to talk about Ghost in the Shell (the 1995 anime one). We talk about artificial bodies, Haraway's Cyborg Manifesto, Japanese puppet theatre, networked cities and much more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopias, real and imaginary. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Marijam Didžgalvytė joins the podcast to talk about the floating utopian/dystopian city of Columbia, the setting of the videogame Bioshock Infinite. We talk about racism, horseshoe theory, real Bioshock villains, and more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopias, real and imaginary. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
The Philip K Dick series continues with The Man in the High Castle. I talk about the novel's affirmation of the utopian drive, colonial power dynamics, and more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopias, real and imaginary. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Professor Will Brooker joins the podcast to talk about one of the most influential films of all time: Blade Runner. We talk about memory, technology, posthumanism, the city, and lots more. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopias, real and imaginary. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.
Time Out of Joint is the first novel I'll be tackling from the bibliography of Philip K. Dick, a man dubbed "the Shakespeare of Science Fiction" by Fredric Jameson. Utopian Horizons is a podcast about utopias, real and imaginary. Each episode covers a different utopia, dystopia, utopian thinker, or utopian movement, asking what they can tell us about ourselves, our society, and our future. Music: The Fiction of Utopian Studies/The Road To Oceania by The Fucked Up Beat.