Utopia, Nation-Building, and the Dissolution of the Nation-State Around 1900
In: Futurescapes
Author:
Hans Ulrich Seeber
Hans Ulrich Seeber
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The classical utopias of the Renaissance mirror and anticipate the emergence of the nation-state. However, globalization, which makes possible these utopias, also undermines the very notion of the nation-state. Around 1900 globalization and empire-building transform utopia into a world-state which is either a triumph of functional and technological rationality and modernity (Wells, A Modern Utopia) or the result of a culture-conflict (Benson, Lord of the World). A third type envisages a dependent pastoral utopia which resembles a forgotten colony (Whiteing, The Island).