Abstract:
Societies evolve based on the questions they pose, and the same holds for utopian imagination. Over the past two decades, Utopian Studies has expanded through insights from emerging fields. When intersecting with Food Studies, the focus shifts to how societies can progress through the lens of food—examining sustainable and equitable production, distribution, and preparation. In dialogue with Spatiality Studies, particularly in the context of dystopias, emphasis is placed on material, social, and mental spaces and the body as a space—each serving as a site of resistance and signalling the possibility of a “light at the end of the tunnel.” Meanwhile, as a research methodology, Digital Humanities unveils patterns that offer fresh perspectives. These interdisciplinary intersections generate new research questions, charting novel paths for Utopian Studies. These are the new avenues I intend to explore in my talk.

Biography:

Prof. Fátima Vieira is a Full Professor of English at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto, where she has been teaching since 1986. She currently serves as Vice-Rector for Culture at the University. In 1998, she earned her doctoral degree with a thesis on William Morris and the British Utopian literary tradition. From 2006 to 2016, she chaired the Utopian Studies Society/Europe. She also coordinates the Porto branch of CETAPS (Centre for English, Translation, and Anglo-Portuguese Studies) and leads the research project “Mapping Dreams: British and North-American Utopianism”.