Visions for Another Tomorrow: Feminist utopia and dystopia worldwide
Lecture/debate
Literature has produced the most inspiring as well as the most horrifying visions of the future. Many of these stories reflect on the place of women in society. Barnita Bagchi discusses this in her lecture. This will be followed by a discussion with a group of experts on feminist ideas for a better future.
Barnita Bagchi talks about how other worlds are depicted in literature. Worlds in which patriarchy - our society in which men are dominant - is criticised. These feminist utopian as well as dystopian stories are often a critique of the here-and-now, but also express a hope for a better future. The lecture will feature a wide variety of visions of the future. From genres such as science fiction, to gothic and realist narratives. Writers such as Mary Wollstonecraft, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, Vandana Singh, Bernardine Evaristo and Margaret Atwood pass by.
Bagchi also brings visual art inspired by literature under the spotlight, such as American artist Chitra Ganesh's linoprints based on ‘Sultana's Dream,’ 1918. Participating in the panel discussion are Thalia Ostendorf and Lenore Todd: academics who study (feminist) literature from different perspectives.
The working language will be English.