Reconsidering Utopia and Dystopia in Soviet Science Fiction

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Brief Description

This roundtable seeks to interrogate the specificities of the utopian and dystopian sub-genres of Soviet science fiction. First, as this roundtable discussion will suggest, these sub-genres fielded unique critiques of social inequality, ecological issues, and gender relations – critiques which went significantly beyond standard Marxist-Leninist dogmas of the time. As such, not only dystopian, but also utopian modes of writing were important (and sometimes underappreciated) mediums for social commentary. Second, the roundtable seeks to query the porous boundaries between utopian and dystopian writings; curiously, important works of late Soviet science fiction hybridized these sub-genres. “Utopian” future-scapes , which nominally described the communist paradise, in fact included darker, dystopian elements subtly disrupting this superficially idyllic picture. As such, the evolution of utopian and dystopian science fiction reflected latent changes in the cultural perceptions of the Soviet present and future, against the backdrop of a seemingly rigid ideology. Thus, the roundtable seeks to reconsider both the relationships between utopia and dystopia generally, and their place in Soviet literary politics and cultural life. Examples that the roundtable will touch upon will include writings by Aleksandr Beliaev, Ol’ga Larionova, Arkadii and Boris Strugatskii, Chengiz Aitmatov, and Vladimir Voinovich. The roundtable format is chosen to facilitate a more sustained and animated discussion of the utopian/ dystopian disjuncture, with the hope of engaging audience members in the conversation.

Sub Unit

• Literature: 20th Century

Chair

• Antony Kalashnikov, U of Waterloo (Canada)

Roundtable Members

• Alessandro Cifariello, U of Tuscia (Italy)

• Sabrina Gallo, Sapienza U of Rome (Italy)

• Antony Kalashnikov, U of Waterloo (Canada)

• Chiara Viceconti, Sapienza U of Rome (Italy)

Session Manager

• Liladhar R. Pendse, UC Berkeley