Hi Martin

Right now I am reading 'A utopia of immanence' by Savvas Michael-Matsas (Deleuze Studies 2016, 10 (3) 289-300.    It makes the connection between utopia and revolution, and certainly moves beyond Western contexts, as revolution will fall in on itself if not international.

Hope this helps

Nick

There is also a book from Martin Buber "utopie et socialisme" which put in evidence two forms of  groups. Inspired from Tonnies and Landauer those groups are the communities (gemeinschaft) and the societies (gesellschaft). I think that with his manner to conceive utopia (thought he his ethnocentric too), links can be done with Marilyn Strathern point of view (and LiPuma) about dividual society and individual society. It could allowed to conceive utopia as a way of being for non-western society, but a critical reading of Buber's book is necessary to theorize that link.

Dear Martin Hebert: I think  that could be interesting for your case to read again under this focus the works of Mikhail Bajtin and Peter Burke about the popular culture in Europe during the Modern Age. Specially these parts related to the wonderful countries like Cucagna or Xauxa. Many times these wonderrful worlds, these utopies, were placed in the new world or towrds the new world. This is: out of the Western world. As  Bacon´s New Atlantis

Another approach that I think could be interesting. Perhaps "Utopia" is a Western society construction, but the idea of an ideal world, a paradise to regain, comes from the East . The work of Samuel Noah Kramer "The History begins at Sumer" is, perhaps, a bit communicational, but includes accurate notes about the cuneiform texts where the first paradise was described. This could be a good beginning to reconsider the ethnocentrism of an idea like "Utopia"..

I hope that will help you.

Best R. 

Mikhail Bakhtin's book on medieval culture - together with its parts that deal with Utopian-like stories and popular feelings - sometimes is more informative on Bakhtin's own times and circumstances than on what he is writing about. Nevertheless if one is to think of Utopia in the most wide sense as of a projection of some idealized social reality, then sure it is not to be limited with modern European contexts

Thank you everybody, your input is very stimulating. Jacqueline Dutton has produced an extremely useful overview of " 'Non-western' utopian thought" in Gregory Claey's edited volume titled Utopian Literature (Cambridge U Press, 2010). Of course, she highlights the fact that many literary and written philosophical traditions in China, Japan, Islam (for example) have produced depictions of the "ideal society". She also discusses "comparative utopias workshops" conducted with Aboriginal peoples in Australia. Basically, the question comes down to whether or not such approach stretches the concept of utopia too far, by making it a universal human mode of thinking (as Zygmunt Bauman, for instance, has proposed).    

Have a look this book, it explains the Buen Vivir as an utopia that is far from ideologies. http://www.redalyc.org/html/305/30538546026/index.html

Depending on one's definition, utopia may be seen either as a timeless dream of perfection or as the blueprint for a better future. In the first case, it applies to all human cultures, especially if one includes religious or mystical visions, fairy tales and so on. However, utopia as a blueprint implies a linear concept of history, which I believe is unique to the West.  

Would not "Kalki" correspond to an utopian vision of the ancient Indian culture? Kalki is expected to bring an end to the darkness of the Kali Yuga, destroying evil and sin, and beginning a new yuga (age) of sinlessness and peace known as the Satya Yuga. The Vishnu avatars represent various phases of the evolution of the universe on a geological scale, including the phases of the human evolution. Fore more clarifications about this matter I suggest reading Heinrich Zimmer's Myths and Symbols of the Indian Art and Civilization. 

Hi Martin,

Mikhail Bakhtin's book on "popular culture in the middle age" could be usefull to see how the link between western countries and ideal city (in fact utopia) could be seen.

Also, you could have a look on the following articles  or books :

Cha In Suk, « La mondialisation de notre demeure vers une éthique de la Société Élargie », Diogène 1/2005 (n° 209) , p. 24-33, DOI : 10.3917/dio.209.0024.

Ainsa Fernando, « Le destin de l'utopie comme métissage », Diogène 1/2005 (n° 209) , p. 34-49, DOI : 10.3917/dio.209.0034.

Maffesoli Michel, « Utopie ou utopies interstitielles. Du politique au domestique», Diogène 2/2004 (n° 206) , p. 32-36, DOI : 10.3917/dio.206.0032.

Michèle Riot - Sarcey [dir.], L'Utopie en questions, La philosophie hors de soi, Saint-Denis, Presses universitaires de Vincennes, 2001, 256 p.

Also, I wrote a shoart article on utopia and uchronia concerning the space conquest, that you can read through my researchgate page.

Hope it can be usefull,

Christophe Gibout

Merci Christophe!

If we travel to any non-western state or culture, the first impression in recent decades is,"being a western is an impulse of perfectionism and dream". but, when we live, and get into rhythm of their daily life in overseas geographies, we would expose to very different values, standards, in the name of Utopia. Also, the variable of "Time - Era" seems different, when the discussion is about Utopia; some imply to past, and some other value the qualities of the future as a Utopia.