Now, more than ever, we need narratives that illuminate other ways of living and being. Social imagination, catalyzed by compelling stories, might be a key ingredient for a green and just transformation.
Stories that depict the future of humanity from a bleak, dystopian and apocalyptic perspective are omnipresent in liturature, films and other mediums. Considering the multiple crises we are facing – climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, war and social unrest – it is perhaps not surprising that many storytellers gravitate towards „doom and gloom“ in their portrayal of what‘s to come.
BUT – is it possible to imagine a future where humans actually manage transform their societies, and live in better synchrony with nature, other species and each other? Where are the stories that show us what a sustainable and fossil-free society could look like, and better yet – how we could get there?
Participants: Azucena Castro, PhD in Spanish and Literature and Postdoctoral fellow at Stockholm Resilience Centre, Skúli Skúlason, Professor of Biology at Hólar University, and Sverrir Norland, prolific author, translator and publisher.