Alexander Bogdanov’s Red Star utopian world: educational perspectives

Authors

  • STEFANOS DESPOTIS National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26220/mje.3551

Keywords:

Science fiction, utopian literature, socialism, education

Abstract

Alexander Bogdanov’s Red Star remains to this day a peculiar document of science fiction literature. Combining imaginative writing with political agitation, Bogdanov’s work manages to articulate the feeling of awe in front of rapid technological advances, and diverts this energetically towards a utopian vision of the future. This essay will be informed by an exploration of the genres of utopian literature and science fiction, drawing on the historical circumstances of Bogdanov’s work, and his relationship to socialism. The historical and theoretical encounters of socialism and utopianism will be touched on, in order to highlight the various affinities these two genres may have. Last but not least, these considerations will be paired with some initial inquiries on the possibilities, and usefulness of integrating this text, within the field of education.

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Published

2021-01-31

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