The second annual conference of the Käte Hamburger Centre CURE took place at Saarland University on 25 and 26 June 2026. Under the title “Reparative Futures: Utopian Thinking in Times of Crisis”, Juliane Rebentisch (HFBK Hamburg), Yves Citton (Université Paris 8), Julien Pieron (CURE), Sophie Wahnich (CNRS), Tijana Vujošević (University of British Columbia), Troy Vettese (University of California, Berkeley), Yi-Ting Wang (CURE), Hendrik Rungelrath (Saarland University), Mauro Bertola (CURE), and Jennifer Allen (Yale University) discussed and presented their reflections on forms of utopian thinking in the present.
The conference set out to explore possibilities for positive visions of the future amid the current flood of dystopian scenarios. Its guiding question was how the future might be thought in the mode of utopian thinking after both the critique of the modern concept of progress, which had made the classical utopias possible, and the disappointments produced by failed attempts to put politically utopian projects into practice. Without seeking to arrive at a precise definition, “utopian thinking” was understood roughly as an attitude toward the future that considers it possible to improve political, social, and societal conditions.
The discussions largely suggested that holistic, positive visions of the future in the tradition of utopian thinking (Thomas More, Francis Bacon) are difficult to imagine today. Instead, the conference was shaped by forms of micropolitical action (Yves Citton, Julien Pieron, Yi-Ting Wang, Jennifer Allen), traditions of critique of modernity (the organisers, Sophie Wahnich), and reflexive positions on existing perspectives on the future (Tijana Vujošević, Hendrik Rungelrath, Mauro Bertola, Troy Vettese).
The conference’s lively discussions left the impression that there remains an unmet need for positive grand narratives of the future. Further debates will show whether and how the seeds of broader and more hopeful overarching narratives might begin to grow, beyond the critique of existing structures.
